The Game Of Life
by Ray'o'Sunshine
Summary: Social, carefree Angela and rude, seclusive Gill have nothing in common. Except one thing. Tragedy. Can they be friends despite their differences? Can they overcome the sorrows of their pasts? Will they become "more than friends" along the way?
1. A New Life

This is my first Fanfic. Hope you enjoy! :)

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**Year 1, Spring, Day 1**

I don't really know why I'm writing this. I feel like I could be writing to my mom and dad about my new life here on Waffle Island. But I'm not. I'm writing in a journal, that no one except me is ever gonna read. But apparently it's something that everyone does around here. Mayor Hamilton said, "It's a way to get to know yourself and the people around you." Whatever. I guess I'll just pretend that this journal is like a story to someone. Someone who's never gonna read it but oh well. So here goes.

It started when I arrived on Pascal's boat, and the Mayor was waiting to greet me. I can't even describe the way he looked at me. It was like I was the first new villager in 50 years or something. Maybe I was, but jeez, this guy's huge smile was starting to freak me out. I thought he was gonna break out into song and dance soon, so I hurried off the boat to meet him. As soon as I was within talking range, he exploded.

"Hello! You must be Angela! I'm Hamilton, the mayor of the island. Oh, it's so great to meet you, you can't even imagine! We haven't had a villager in over 12 years! Oh, I do hope you'll stay, it really is a wonderful island, I know it doesn't look good now but it'll improve, I promise!" He held out his hand for me to shake.

So 12 years, huh? Not quite 50 but still…what was wrong with this island? I figured I would find out later. Not wanting to be rude, I shook his hand and said, "Umm ya, hi! It's a… it's great to meet you too!"

"Alrighty then Angela, why don't I show you to your house? It's a beauty I must say!"

"Sure," I said, and followed him. We eventually stopped on a hillside, where a small, cozy house sat. I really didn't care that it was small, I was just happy to have a house free of charge.

"So this is your house. It's a bit small now, but of course you can upgrade it once you have the money. What do you think?"

"It's great Hamilton, thanks. I really do like it."

"Well very good then! I see you have some belongings, so I'll let you settle in for the night. Here's a map of the island, come by the town hall tomorrow around 9 and I'll give you a tour of the island."

"Sounds good. I'll be there."

He left running, obviously still happy that I decided to move to the island. Wow, he was definitely a strange one. I hoped everyone on the island wasn't like this. Whatever. I shrugged it off and unloaded my small bag of belongings. Now that I'm all settled in, I'm gonna crash. I have to admit, I was tired from the long journey. And it looks like tomorrow will be another busy day.

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Thanks for reading; I know this chapter is really short but it's just the intro. They'll get longer. If anyone has suggestions or notices mistakes, please tell me.


	2. Off to a Bad Start

Here's the second chapter. The story kind of goes slow at first, but it gets better.

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**Year 1, Spring, Day 2**

Wow. Today was interesting. I got a tour of the island alright. And I hated every minute of it. But it wasn't the island that was the problem, it was the person who was giving the tour that really got on my nerves. At first I thought no one could be more annoying than Hamilton. I was wrong. Who else but the mayor's one and only son to top him in being annoying. But strangely, he was nothing like Hamilton. He was just the opposite of the smiling, jumpy, cheerful mayor. He was the snobbiest and most stuck up person I have ever met. And I'm not exaggerating. At all. Let me give you an overview of today.

I made my way up to town hall, using the map Hamilton gave me. It wasn't all that far from my house, maybe like a 10 minute walk. I have to admit, I was pretty excited about the tour. I really wanted to see the island and find out what was so bad about it that made me the first new villager in 12 years. I opened the door to town hall and walked over to a desk where a woman sat.

"Hi, umm I'm here to see Mayor Hamilton. I'm Angela, the new villager."

"Oh yes, he told me you would be coming. I'm Elli, his secretary. It's nice to meet you! Hamilton is in his office right over there."

"Thank you very much," I said bowing to her. Then I walked over to Hamilton's office and knocked on the door.

"Oh Angela! Very good, yes, glad you came. I'm afraid I can't give you the tour myself today, as I am much too busy with mayor duties, but I have someone who will more than willing to show you around. Come."

Little did I know that "more than willing" really meant "completely unwilling". I followed Hamilton to a desk beside Elli's where a boy with blond hair in sweater vest was working. He looked about my age, give or take a few years. Hamilton spoke first.

"Gill, this is Angela, the new villager who would like to start a farm here."

Gill looked up at me and snorted. "You? Ya, ok, what are you, like 10 years old? No way you could start a farm."

"Nice to meet you too, Fish-boy!" I replied. Jeez this guy was mean! I sure got my first impression of him!

"Hey! Watch it kid! You don't know who you're talking to!"

Before I could respond, Hamilton yelled, "Gill! Be nice! You will be Angela's tour guide today, as I don't have time to show her around the island."

"WHAT? Must I father? I have work to do! Get someone else!"

"Gill, do not talk to me that way. You will do as I say. Leave your work, it can be done tomorrow."

"Ugh, fine!" he said, and then muttered under his breath, "Why do I always get the stupid jobs?"

He walked past me and out the door, with a wave over his shoulder that I took to mean "follow". Before I could, Hamilton stopped me and said, "I'm sorry Angela, he's not usually like this. Please forgive him; he's really a nice person."

When I caught up to Gill, he started talking and pointing right away, like he wanted to get the tour over with as fast as possible.

"Ok, this is Waffle Town Square where festivals are sometimes held, over there is Sundae Inn, Meringue Clinic, and the general store. The tailor shop over there is closed because the owners are gone for the time being. There, down by the beach is the fishery "On the Hook", and over there is my house. Any questions?"

"Uhh, ya, is Gill short for something?"

"I meant about the tour, idiot!"

"Oh. Then no."

Gill sighed and said, "You're immature. C'mon. let's move along and finish."

He showed me the rest of the island, in a rather brief manner, the whole time criticizing me. We were almost done when he said; "I hate you." I finally lost my cool and just snapped. But when I did, I said something I probably shouldn't have.

I had noticed Gill was wearing a pin on his sweater vest. It was a pin that said "mama's boy". I took my chance and blurted out, "Hey why don't you go crying home to mommy if you hate everyone so much. Maybe she'll fix it. Or do you hate her too?"

As soon as I said that, I knew it hurt him, deeper than what his insults had done to me. His eyes narrowed and became as sharp as daggers, and he looked like he wanted to punch me. I started to feel bad, knowing I had gone too far, but before I could apologize, he said, "Go to hell," and left, breaking into a run. I wanted to find him and tell him I was sorry, but I figured he wouldn't forgive me. At least not right away. I went home, tears in my eyes, running over the insults in my head, trying to figure out why my last insult had touched a soft spot. Eventually I just gave up. What a day, huh? Probably makes my list of top 10 worst days of my life. Oh well. I'll have to figure out how to fix everything tomorrow. Right now I'm going to sleep.

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The next chapter sets the story in play. Thanks for reading!


	3. Fixing Things

This chapter is a little longer. The story really starts to take off here.

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**Year 1, Spring, Day 3**

I think things may have turned out a little better today. And I may have made a new friend. It's funny. There are some things in life that you would think are never going to work out… and then they do. And here's how it started.

Of course, I was still upset for hurting Gill, and I needed to fix it. Honestly, I was scared to apologize, not because I'm a wimp, but because I thought he would not accept my apology. I really wanted to make things right with Fish-boy. And I realized the only way would be to march right up to him and tell him I was truly sorry. I made my way down to town hall around 2 o'clock, planning to ask Gill if we could speak privately. But he wasn't there! Instead, Hamilton was sitting at Gill's desk, finishing the work that Gill didn't finish yesterday. He looked up when he saw me come in. I spoke first.

"Hello Hamilton. I was wondering if you could tell me where Gill is. I said something yesterday that I need to apologize for."

"Uhh, yes, I see…Gill is at my house… he refused to come to work today. You can go on in."

"Thank you very much," I said bowing, and I started to leave.

"Wait Angela," Hamilton said. I turned around to look at him.

"Gill's having a rough time. Please go easy on him. He doesn't have any friends, and he is dwelling on his past. Maybe you can help him. I think all he might need is a friend."

"I'll do what I can Hamilton. Believe me, I need a friend too." And I left. It should have only taken me about 2 minutes to walk to the mayor's house. Instead it took me 10. I guess I was just stalling, because I was kinda nervous to talk to him. I mean, what if he completely hated me now, and wouldn't let me talk to him? What if he never talked to me again? What if he became my enemy? What if, what if, what if. I knew I had to shrug off my worries and just go. So I silently opened the door and walked inside.

The house was quiet, so I figured Gill must be upstairs. Probably in his room. It took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't intruding, because Hamilton had told me I could come in. I made my way upstairs, and down the hall where I saw a closed door with Gill's name on it. I took a breath and knocked.

"Come in," said Gill. Jeez, his voice was different. I hoped he wasn't too depressed. I opened the door and took one step inside, closing the door behind me. I don't know why; it's not like anyone else was in the house. I guess closing a door signifies privacy. Gill was sitting on his bed. As soon as he saw me, he looked down and said, "Oh, it's you." His voice turned crusty again and he put an emphasis on "you" like he was talking to a guilty person. But I guess it was fair…because I was guilty. I cleared my throat.

"Umm, hi Gill. Look, I… I uhh, came to apologize… I'm… I'm really sorry for hurting you."

"I guess that's fine," Gill sighed, "It's not like you understand what it did to me."

"Well, maybe you could tell me," I said, "It would help me not make the same mistake again."

"…Whatever... If you must know, my mother was killed in a fire ten years ago. And that pin I was wearing was something she gave me when I was little. It's my only memory of her…. because everything else was burned." Gill paused. Then he said, "It's not like you would understand though. It's deeper than your stupid problems," he remarked, his voice turning to acid again. This was not going well. I was already holding back tears, and he continued to insult me.

"What do you mean 'deeper than my problems' "?

"Oh come on. A happy little kid like you? What could you know about tragedy?"

"More than you think, Fish-boy," I said in a weak voice. Then the tears started. "Both my parents died when I was eight." My knees buckled and I dropped to the floor.

Gill's eyes widened, and he jumped off the bed. "I'm sorry Angela, oh my goddess, what have I done? I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me! I promise I'll never say anything like that again! Please don't cry!" Gill sat down beside me and put his hand on my shoulder while I cried.

"It's… it's…. o…ok Gill," I said. "It's just that, I…I haven't thought about that day…. in a long time. It just…triggered a sad memory." I took a deep breath and looked up at Gill. We continued to sit on the floor in silence until Gill finally spoke.

"I never thought I would meet someone who went through what I did," he said softly. "I can see I've hurt you, perhaps more than you hurt me. Will you tell me about it?" He paused. "Only if you want to of course."

"I don't really remember Gill. I was eight. All I remember was coming home from school one day, and finding a woman from the orphanage sitting on my front step. From there, it was misery. I lived in the orphanage until I was 18. I went to college for 4 years, and now I'm here. That's all I can say. But I do have this." I reached under my shirt and pulled out my locket. I opened it to show Gill a picture of me with my parents. Then I closed it and started crying again.

Gill put his arm around my shoulders, and cried with me for a while. It felt good to let it all out with someone who knew what it felt like to loose a loved one. Finally I spoke.

"Gill?"

"Mmm?"

"Maybe… maybe we can help each other."

"How?"

"I don't know, but between the both of us, we…we could help each other… be happy again. I need a friend Gill. Living in an orphanage, you never have true friends. One day they're there, and the next there off with some parents who adopted them. But not me. I wasn't wanted. I watched kid after kid find a happy new family. I wished for the day that I would be adopted into a family with other kids. So I could have a friend. That moment never came. But I know you need a friend too Gill. And I think we could get along. Will you be my friend?"

"I suppose… we could be friends. Or we could at least try. I used to have many friends. But that was a long time ago. I'm not sure I even know how to be a friend anymore."

"Well, we're both on the same page then, right?" I managed to smile.

"Yes," Gill said, one side of his mouth turning up into a small half-smile. "We're both on the same page. A bad page… but still."

"Wow Gill! Did you just crack a joke? I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Well, I'm learning." Then Gill sighed. "So how do you want to start? With being friends?"

"Umm… I dunno…do you want to come over to my house? On Friday?"

"I have to work on Friday."

"Saturday?"

"Ok… I guess. What time?"

"Whenever."

"Alright. I'll a… I'll be there."

"Great." I stood up and started for the door. Gill walked me downstairs and before I left, he said, "Angela? It's good to have a friend."

I smiled and waved as a walked away. I made it back to my house before breaking out in tears again. I think they were happy tears this time though. I have to admit, that meeting didn't go how I expected. But maybe that's good. I'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.

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Kind of cliff-hanger-ish ending for the chapter, but a new one's coming soon.


	4. First Steps

Here's chapter 4. It's a longer one, and in this one Gill starts to have fun. Just a little.

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**Year 1, Spring, Day 7**

Today was fun. I felt like my friendship with Gill was starting out good. Gill was happy today. At least he seemed to be. My goal was to make the guy smile. Just once. A genuine smile; not one of snobby smirks. This is what happened.

I slept in till about eleven o'clock because, well, it was Saturday. Duh. I was groggy all morning, and to tell you the truth, I actually forgot Gill was coming. I heard a knock on my door, just as I was finishing lunch, and it took me a minute to remember that it was Gill. Oh my goddess, I just freaked. I wasn't even dressed! I was wearing freakin' underwear and an old tank top. There was no way I was answering the door like this.

"Uhhhhhh, one minute!" I yelled, and quietly peeked out the window. Gill heard me and was sitting down my porch swing. Good. I dashed into my room, threw some clothes on, ran my fingers through my hair, brushed my teeth quickly and gurgled some mouth-wash. I hurried to the door, took some deep breaths (I was panting) and walked outside.

"Hello Angela! How are you?" Gill asked politely. He wasn't smiling though.

"Ah, fine, what about you?" I replied.

"I'm alright I guess. So… what do you want to do today?"

"Well… I guess whatever. Do you know how to fish?"

"No."

"Ride horses?"

"Nope."

"Know how to mine?"

"Not a clue."

"Cook? Climb trees? Play ball? Skip rocks? Swim?"

"Uhh.. I can swim. That's about it. Oh and I can play chess," Gill said proudly. Still no smile.

"Jeez Gill, what have you been doing all your life?"

"I just didn't think any of those things were that fun," he replied simply.

"Awww Gill…you don't know what you're missing. C'mon. Today we're gonna have some real fun." I grabbed Gill's hand and started dragging him towards Maple Lake.

"Wh…What are we going to do?" He asked with a slight nervousness to his voice.

"First, we are going to teach you how to fish. That's probably the simplest."

We got to Maple Lake in about two minutes. I took out my fishing rod, baited it with a worm, cast out, and sat down.

"Umm, what are you doing?" Gill asked.

"Waiting," I replied. "Fishing takes patience. Alright. I'm gonna show you how this works. See this string? At the end is the worm, which is the bait. When a fish comes along and bites it, I feel the tug on the line. Then I turn this crank which reels the line in, until it's outta the water."

"Oh. That…That seems simple enough." Gill said thoughtfully. But no smile yet.

While we waited, we talked about each other, our interests, and what we were good at. We we're only talking about ten minutes when a tug came from my line. I stood up, and turned the crank. My fish eventually rose out of the water. I stood my rod up straight on the ground and reach up to unhook the fish. Then I tossed it at Gill. He went hysterical.

"AAAaaaahhhHHH. Ewwww ewww eeeeewww. Get it away, take it away! Ugh. My clothes are all slimy and they smell like fish! How revolting!" Gill dropped the fish.

I watched his crazy charade, laughing the whole time. I picked up the fish and put it in my bucket. "Your turn!" I said cheerfully.

Gill looked at me, rolled his eyes, and said, "Please don't do that." Definitely no smile.

"Gill, if you wanna have fun, you gotta lighten up. Get your hands dirty."

"Well, it's my shirt that got dirty," he muttered.

"Figure of speech Gill. C'mon. I know you have a sense of humor. Show it once in a while." Still no smile. This was harder than I thought.

"Give me that!" Gill said, and reached out for my fishing rod. I had already baited it with another worm. He threw the line back to cast… and it got stuck in a bush. I forced myself not to laugh while I untangled it. The next tries were just as bad. But after about 15 attempts, he finally got it in the water. We talked some more while we waited, until Gill's line got a tug. He panicked. I calmed him down and helped him slowly reel in his first fish. I unhooked it and put it in the bucket.

"That wasn't that bad, right?" I said happily.

"I guess not," Gill replied.

"Good," I said, and cast out the fishing line again. As we talked, I continued to try and get a smile out of Gill. It didn't work. But then again, maybe he just needed a little time. It's not like he was going to change in one day.

After about half an hour, I got another tug on my line. I stood up and turned the crank. But this fish was big. Really big. I kept pulling and turning but I couldn't get my line to reel in. Finally, with one wrong foot movement, I fell into the water. I knew Gill would be panicking. While I was still underwater, I swam right up to the edge where I could see Gill above the water on his hand and knees. I think he was yelling "Angela" but I couldn't make it out. So I reached up, and without moving my head above water, I grabbed his arm, and pulled him in. It wasn't that hard because his hand was nearly in the water already. We both popped up for air. This time Gill didn't panic. What do you know? He did know how to swim. He popped his head up, and had a look of complete annoyance on his face.

"C'mon Angela," Gill said, treading water, "Why did you have to do that?"

"When an opportunity for fun comes along, I take it," I replied smiling.

"Was that supposed to be fun?"

"Well, for me it was."

"Oh! So no considerations for me, huh?"

"Ummmm, nope! Sorrrrryyyyyyy," I said dragging out the word.

"Well, you do see that this attempt to "have fun" got my clothes and hair wet?"

"Yeah…so?"

"Well then! I guess that calls for a little consequence," he replied. And he lunged at me and dunked my head under the water. I struggled to get out of his hold, then swam around him and jumped him from behind, talking a quick breath when my head broke the surface. This kept going for a while, until finally I didn't have the strength to escape from his arms. I pointed up with my finger, he let go of me, and we swam to the surface.

"Happy now?" I asked.

"Yeaaaah…I'm good now," Gill replied smirking. I knew he had a smile in there. It just wasn't coming out.

We both got out of the water and walked back to my place, taking the two fish we had caught. He didn't seem to mind that he was soaking wet. Neither did I. That was good.

"Wanna stay for supper Gill?" I asked

"Uh, what are we having?"

"I think these fish will do nicely."

"Uhhh," Gill paused, "I guess I could try it."

"You can't tell me you haven't had fish before!"

"Oh no, I have, it's just, I don't know what I'll think of it now, after I was the one who caught that slimy thing," Gill responded.

"Oh you'll love it. I promise we won't eat it raw. I grill them instead." I invited him in while I got my bonfire set out of my tool box, and then I grabbed his hand again and pulled him.

"Where are we going now?" Gill asked. I thought I sensed a little enthusiasm in his voice this time.

"To Cream Beach," I replied, "To get the full effects of a pretty bonfire, you need to be on the water. Trust me. You'll see. Besides, there's nothing better than supper on the water. Especially when the sun's setting."

"Well what the heck," Gill said, "I guess I may as well try it."

"That's the spirit Gill!"

We sat down by the water once we got there, and I set up the bonfire. Gill was content, until I started the fire. Then he got a little uneasy. I suppose that was normal considering his mother had died in a fire when his house burned down.

"It's fine, I've got it under control, I promise," I reassured him.

"I trust you," he replied, calming down. Good. Trust was step one in becoming friends.

We ate in silence looking over the water admiring the sunset.

"It…It really is beautiful," Gill said. "I never see the pretty things anymore. Ever since… ever…since… the tragedy," Gill said avoiding his mother's death, "I never saw the beauty in things. I always saw their flaws. Now…I am beginning to see things again. For their beauty."

"See Gill? It's not that hard. If you could see this everywhere, then people wouldn't think you were so snobby all the time."

"I am snobby…I feel bad for the way I've treated people." Gill looked at the ground.

"Well, you can change Gill. People will forget. You can be a new you, right?"

"..." Gill thought for a moment. "Right!" he said with confidence. . And then he smiled. A small smile, but still! I almost wanted to pump my fist in the air and yell "YESSSS", but of course I didn't. That would've ruined the moment. We sat in silence, and then I spoke.

"It's 8:00, Gill. We should get home," I said packing up. "Plus, it's getting cold and we're both still in wet clothes."

"Yes, you're right." Gill helped me clean up. I walked Gill to his house, and when I was about to leave, I turned and faced him.

"Gill, I had a lot of fun today."

"Yeah. So did I Angela. Could we maybe get together again? Like next Saturday?" He asked hopefully. I could see he really did enjoy the day, despite his facial expressions earlier on.

"Sure Gill, I'll mark it on my calendar. Come over whenever you want," I said.

"Great," Gill said, "I can't wait." A small smile was on the verge of showing. He waved goodbye, as I started home.

I mostly ran over the events of the day in my head as I walked home. It felt good to have fun. I realized that I was also really excited for next Saturday. Now all I can do is wait.

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So there's the chapter. I have the whole story in my head and can't wait to write it all down, so the next chapter will probably be done soon. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think so far.


	5. The Real Fun Begins

Here's the next chapter. More fun stuff.

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**Year 1, Spring, Day 14**

Well, the fun continued. I'm really starting to enjoy Gill's company. It's so much better when he actually smiles. But it's rare. It only comes out once in a while. Sometimes, you just need a little excitement to bring out your inner smile. And that's exactly what happened today.

This time, I remembered Gill was coming. I figured he would probably come up around 1:00 like he did last weekend. So I made sure to have my clothes on by 11:00, just in case.

Gill showed up at 1:00, exactly as I expected. When I saw him out the window, I went outside to meet him, instead of waiting for him to knock on the door. He was looking at the ground as he walked, so he didn't see me walk outside.

"Hey Gill!" I called.

"Oh h…hi Angela," Gill said startled, "You scared me!"

"Sorry," I said back. "So? Any ideas for today?"

"Well, we can do whatever. I don't care," Gill said.

"Ok then, climbing trees it is!"

"Ummm…well…ok…I'll try. I can't guarantee I'll like it though," Gill told me.

"That's what fun is. Trying new things. If you don't like it, we can do something else. C'mon," I said grabbing his hand.

"You know Angela, if you pull my arm any harder, it's gonna pop right out of the socket." Gill said. I turned and looked at him. He had a small half-smile on his face. Good. He was getting used to smiling.

"Haha, sorry. I'll be more careful for you Fish-boy."

"Thanks kid." Gill said teasingly. I looked at him. He shrugged and said, "Hey, if you get to call me fish-boy, I get to call you kid. Only fair." Good. His sense of humor was coming along too.

I led him all the way to praline woods. No one else was there.

"Alright, Gill. First we need to find a good tree. One that has lower branches that we can reach to get up in the tree….like this one." I pointed. It was the lowest branch I could find and was about 7 feet off the ground. "Now, just do what I do."

I jumped up and grabbed the branch. I turned my body so it was facing the trunk, with one hand holding the branch in front of the hand. As I held the branch, I walked up the trunk with my legs, sort of like you would do if you were using a rope to climb a cliff. As soon as my legs reached the branch, I swung one over and turned myself upright, now sitting on the branch with one leg on either side. From there it was easy. I carefully stood up, grabbing the branches above me as I stepped onto higher branches to make room for Gill.

"You're turn!" I called to Gill. "It's not that bad. Once you make it past the first branch, it's a piece of cake. The trick is to do it fast. If you go too slow, you'll fall. Ready?"

Gill looked a little nervous, yet there was something else in his eyes. I think I saw a little bit of enthusiasm and excitement. Like he couldn't wait to try. That was good.

"Well, here goes nothing," Gill said. And he jumped. I have to admit, I thought he'd completely fail on the first try and I'd have to help him up. Boy, how wrong was I! Gill was a pro. He transitioned smoothly from his jump and used the momentum to turn himself towards the trunk and get his feet on it. From there he walked up like he was walking down the street. He swung his leg over the side and ended just as I had; sitting on the branch with one leg on either side. He stood up, grabbing the higher branches and climbed higher to meet me. I just stared at him. In awe. I may have lived on a farm when I was young and climbed trees all the time, but Gill outdid me completely. I was amazed.

"Um, how the freakin' hell did you do that?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"I was in gymnastics for five years," Gill replied blushing. "When I was little of course," he added. "My…mom…was a gymnastics champion."

"Well, you just completely outdid a girl who grew up climbing trees. It was my hobby," I said, not wanting to get into the subject of his mom. I didn't want to upset him. I wanted today to be fun.

Gill smirked. "Not so cocky now, are you kid?"

"Oh it's on Fish-boy. Race you to the top of the tree. On your mark, get set, GO!"

And we both started climbing. He took one side of the tree, I took the other. There were tons of branches to climb on either side, so it was a fair game. I had experience on my side, but Gill was fast and flexible. For a boy. He had some tricks up his sleeve that I've never seen before. Note to self. Try them out sometime. We both climbed higher until the branches became too thin to keep climbing. Then we stopped to catch our breath.

"Well," Gill said, "I guess it was a fair tie."

"No way, Fish-boy, I sooo beat you," I replied teasingly.

Gill smiled his small little half-smile. "C'mon now kid, don't be a sore loser. Or a sore tier."

"You know I was kidding. Nice race." I held out my hand. "Anytime you need an equal to race, call me."

"You got it," Gill said shaking my hand. "Wanna go back down now?"

"Wait!" I had just spotted Luke and Owen coming into the woods. "I have a better idea. See Luke and Owen down there? Climb down to the middle of the tree where the branches are thickest, and we'll have some real fun." Gill followed me down.

"Ok," I said, picking a pinecone off the branch. "Watch." I waited until Luke walked by our tree and then threw the pinecone at him. Actually, whipped it at him would describe it better. It hit him square on the head.

"Ouch!" Luke said. He looked up, but we were completely hidden by the branches. "Stupid squirrel," he muttered. Then he moved over and started chopping down the tree beside ours.

I looked up at Gill, holding in laughter. One sound and we would've given ourselves away. Gill wasn't laughing, but his half-smile had turned into a full smile. I could see it in his eyes that he enjoyed that. "You're turn," I whispered and picked a pinecone for Gill.

We waited for a while, until someone else walked near the tree. It wasn't hard to find someone who was within range, because the tree we were in was the biggest in the whole woods, by far. It was also fairly close to the middle. This time, the person who was close-by was Owen. He stopped at a nearby rock and was breaking it with his hammer. Gill wound up, waited for the right moment, and released the pinecone. It hit Owen's back, right between his shoulder blades. Gill had a good arm! I looked at him and gave him a thumbs-up, and received a smile in return. With teeth this time. I was really liking this smiling thing. Gill had a nice one too. His teeth were mostly straight except for a top one in the middle that was a tiny bit crooked. You could barely tell. But that subtle difference made the whole smile so much more handsome. I hoped he would keep smiling.

Owen felt the pinecone on his back and yelled "Oww!"

Luke turned around. "Hey, you get hit too Owe?"

"Ya…I did… with this pinecone," replied Owen, picking up the pinecone.

"Eh, it's probably just squirrels running around up there," Luke said, shrugging.

Luke and Owen both looked up at our tree, but they couldn't see us. I didn't look at Gill. I knew if I did, I would laugh. Instead, I grabbed another pinecone. So did Gill. We didn't have to coordinate. We were both thinking the same thing. As soon as Luke and Owen looked away we fired. My pinecone hit Owen on the arm, and Gill's nailed Luke right in the butt. This time I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. So did Gill. He had a great laugh. It was smooth; not like those people who laugh and gag and snort and make all kinds of weird noises. Then I heard Luke speak.

"Awww Owen… the squirrels are laughing at us." Luke seemed sincerely bothered by this. "C'mere ya dang squirrels! I'll show you what happens when you mess with Big-L!"

We laughed louder. It was so easy to laugh at Luke. He never thought of the logical conclusion and always got frustrated when someone got the better of him.

"Dumbass!" Owen said laughing at his friend. "Obviously they're not squirrels you idiot! Come on dudes," he called up to us, "Where are you?"

"I peeked out of the branches and waved at Owen. "Over here!"

"Oh! It's you Angela! Hey, how's it goin?" Good ol' Owen. You could chop his arm off and he wouldn't be mad at you. "Hey, who's up there with ya? I heard someone else laughing."

"Oh, it's Gill. Here, we'll come down." Gill and I climbed down and swung off the lowest branch to land on the ground.

"Gill?" Owen asked, surprised. "When did you start climbing trees? Wait, when did you even start coming outside?"

"I went outside to walk to and from work," Gill said with a smart-ass tone.

"Yeah, but…your shirts all dirty. That's not like you Gill. You okay? I'm worried about you, bro."

"I'm fine Owen, just having a little fun," Gill said half-smiling at me.

"Oh. Well alright bro. You do that. See ya 'round dude! And dudette!" And he went back to smashing his rock.

"So?" Gill said looking at me. "What next?"

I wasn't sure. I was getting pretty tired. So I said, "Uh, how 'bout we just go to my place. It's almost 5:00. We can eat and you can teach me chess or something."

"Sounds good," Gill replied. This time he took _my _hand and pulled me towards my house. I gave in to his pull, and soon we were both running. He let go of my hand and said, "Race you!"

"You're on!" I said, and let out everything I had. I was faster than Gill. But not by much. I took a short cut through a bush and Gill followed, almost running on my heels. I hoped I could trust my feet not to trip on the roots and bumps because if I fell, Gill would too. But guess what? I did fall. It's funny how those things happen. I went down flat on my stomach. It knocked the wind outta me. Gill did the same, except he fell on _me_! That hurt. But thankfully he rolled off of me quickly. When I caught my breath, I rolled over and faced Gill. My face was full of dirt. Gill took one look at me and laughed. Did I mention he had a nice laugh?

"So that's how you want it, eh Fish-boy?" I asked. And I threw some dirt in his face.

Gill stared at me as if to say, "You. Got. Dirt. In. My. Hair!" But then he smiled. I was happy he was finally starting to lighten up. He was a good actor. For a second I actually thought he was going to yell at me. He stood up, and held his hand out.

"No thanks Fish-boy, I think I can get up myself."

"If that's what you want," Gill replied in a fake sweet voice. He waited for me to get up and then swept his leg under mine, making me trip. Then he held his hand out again.

"I have a feeling that if I don't accept your hand, you're going to trip me again." I looked up at him.

"You would be correct, kid."

"Fine." And I took his hand. I wanted to pout, to trick Gill into thinking I was mad at him. But instead I smiled. There was something about him…I just had to smile. He was turning out to be a fun friend.

We walked back to my house and I fixed up some pasta for supper. While we ate, we talked, mostly about nothing in particular. I liked that. Talking about nothing, just for fun. Then I realized there was a question I hadn't asked him yet.

"Gill, how old are you?"

"Twenty-five…why?"

"Just wondering. It's something I never thought to ask before." I replied simply.

"Oh," He said. "And how old are you?"

"Twenty-two."

"Wow. You don't look it. You could be as young as sixteen."

"Ya, I know. I look kind of childish. My face didn't mature at the same time I did," I said.

"It doesn't offend you when I call you kid, does it? I'll stop if it does," Gill said concerned.

"No, no, I don't mind."

We paused for a minute.

"So you wanna teach me chess?" I asked. "I've got an old chess game here. It was my dad's."

"Sure," Gill replied happily.

Turns out chess wasn't as hard as I thought. It just took a while to remember how all the pieces could move. We played for a good hour.

"Angela, I have to go," Gill said in the middle of my turn. "I promised my father I would come home before 7:30 to help him finish painting the living room."

"You're gonna paint your living room at 7:30 at night?" I asked.

"It's the only time he has. He works on the weekends," Gill replied.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that. Well ok then. We on for next Saturday?"

"You bet," Gill said as he walked out the door.

In a way, I was sad that he had to leave. It was a fun day, and I didn't want it to end. But I have to admit, I was tired. Plus, I knew we would have fun next Saturday.

* * *

I'm almost done the next chapter, so it'll be up soon.


	6. History of the Island

This chapter is not a particular day like the other ones. It's like an overview of what has happened with Angela and Gill since their last get-together. Almost a month has gone by. There is some description of Summer 14, though.

* * *

**Year 1, Spring 15 – Summer 14 **

I've been having a lot of fun with Gill. He's become the brother I never had. Except that he never fights with me like a brother would. He's always happy with whatever I say. Each time I see him, it's like his smile becomes bigger. And he laughs all the time now. Which is good. People have actually come to me to thank me for turning Gill into a good person. But I wouldn't go that far. The most I did was help him be who he used to be. It's not like he was never a good person before.

Though he was happy, there were those days where I could tell he still seemed a bit sad. And I understood. I knew what he was feeling. But despite that, we still had fun. Every time.

Like I said before, Gill was like part of my family. I could talk to him about anything. So I did. We learned a lot about each other. I even found out why I was the first new villager in 12 years. This is what happened.

It was Summer 14, one of those hot and humid days. Too hot to do anything but sit. Gill and I were having a picnic in Brownie Ranch District on a hill that looked over the beach. We sat under a tree, talking while we ate. Until then, I have to admit that I forgot about that one question that I was curious about. But something about the ocean reminded me of my first day here, and how Happy Hamilton had made me wonder.

"Gill, I have a question."

"Mmm?"

"When I first came to this island, Hamilton told me that I was the first new villager in 12 years. Why is that?"

"Oh…well…hmm…how do I explain this?" he asked quietly to himself. "Alright. Here's the story," he began. "This island was once plentiful and beautiful, with many resources. It's most famous thing was its rainbows. All this came from the mother tree. The mother tree was said to be the root of the island. It was said the Harvest Goddess lived in the mother tree, and each year, on the fall harvest, when the Harvest Moon came out, she would grant everyone shining crops. And it happened. Every year. But then…one year…it didn't. And people became worried. They went to the mother tree and found out it was dying. People didn't know what to do. Of course they wanted to help, but everything they tried didn't work. My father became very upset during this time, because as mayor, people wanted answers from him and he didn't have them. The mother tree became weaker and weaker until finally one day…it died. I remember that day. I was 13. We held a ceremony for the mother tree, finally accepting that we couldn't do anymore. Everyone went back to their normal lives. But we soon found out they weren't normal. The mother tree took everything with it when it died. The plentiful resources, the beautiful, lush forests, and the rainbows. People became sad. So sad that they could not bear to live here anymore. Most left. Some villagers stayed, only because they had no where else to go. And it's been like that ever since."

"Wow…" I said quietly. "I guess now I understand why Praline woods doesn't have many trees now. And the grass seems a bit brown. Why didn't I think of this?" I asked, more to myself than to Gill.

"I know," Gill said. "I was kind of surprised you didn't know the story by now. I thought my father would've told you. Even if he didn't, wouldn't you know something was up? I mean, look at your crops. Have you ever got a shining one? Haven't you noticed the poor quality soil? Or the unhappy animals? I thought you used to live on a farm."

"I did live on a farm. When I was little, before my parents died. But that was 14 years ago. I don't remember how things were supposed to be. I guess I just thought the poor soil and everything else was normal. I didn't know these things could be better." I paused, thinking. "Hang on. How did you know I lived on a farm?"

"We have a profile on every villager in the town hall. It's not very detailed, but it gives the overall picture." Gill replied.

"Oh…I see," I said. "So…is there anyway to restore the island? To bring back the mother tree?"

"Well, that's an interesting question," Gill said. "And I think I may be the only one who knows the answer. You see, my mother died two years later. I was sad. I felt alone. I wanted comfort. And one day I got it. I had a dream, but not a normal one. In it there were these five fairy-like beings. They called themselves Harvest Sprites. They told me how they saw I was suffering, and they said that they could help me be happy again. They could not bring my mother back, but they told me about a seedling that could restore the island. A new mother tree they called it. They told me the Harvest Goddess would return and everything would be as it once was. But that's all I got. Then I woke up and they were gone. I thought of anything I could do that related to their story. I bought a seedling from the store and planted it. Nothing happened. Soon, I forgot about it. I went to college. It was when I came back when I was twenty-three that I found something. I was digging though my father's old chest, trying to find any kind a memoir of my mother. I didn't find any. But instead, I found something else. It was half of a quilt. It had a rainbow on it, along with those Sprites I saw in my dream. And all this time, I've been trying to decipher it, but nothing has come to me. And that's basically it."

Half a quilt with a rainbow and Sprites on it? Something struck me as familiar. And then I remembered. "Gill?" I asked. "I…I think…I think I have the other half. Yes! I do!"

Gill looked at me wide-eyed. "What?"

"Yes, I remember now! It was early spring and I was working part-time for Hamilton. He asked me to fix the clock tower. And I found a half of a quilt stuck inside that was the cause of the jam. I feel bad now, but I never told Hamilton. I sensed that I shouldn't. I don't know why. But I have it. Except my half has a rainbow and a beautiful lady on it. Now that I think about it, she could be the goddess you're talking about. It's at home. Wanna see it?"

Gill jumped up. "Yes! Let's go! Wow, I never thought I'd get any closer to solving this puzzle."

I took Gill home where he examined the quilt. And he said it was definitely the other half. It took us about a week, but we finally deciphered the meaning. We were able to find three of the harvest sprites by watering flowers under the three special trees. They gave us recipes that would restore the rainbows and create the seedling for the new mother tree. All we needed to do was collect the ingredients. So we agreed that we would collect them over time, if we ever came across one. We thought we'd kind of made it like a hobby. Got nothing to do? Look for ingredients. We haven't found any yet, but in a few years, we might be able to restore the island. Wow. I have to admit, that's a lot to take in. I can't stop thinking about it. But it's not like our whole lives are focused on this now. We're still living normal lives, having fun every time we can. It's just good to know the history of the island you're living on. Anyway, I'm going to bed now, to clear my mind. Tomorrow I'm going to Gill's, to return his sweater vest that he left here earlier today. Let's hope it will bring more fun.

* * *

This chapter really isn't important to the story. I could take it out, and the storyline wouldn't change. I just wanted to have some events from the game in it and a little bit of history. It may seem random, but the game is just about Gill and Angela's lives. And this was an event that happened in their lives. So there you go.


	7. Bring it on, Life!

This is the most important chapter in the story. It's a long one. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

**Year 1, Summer, Day 15**

I think today I really bonded with Gill. It was the first time we talked about out parents since that third day in spring. Well, my parents and his mom. You might think that it was sad. And it was. In a way. Remembering things like that always make you want to cry. But it was more of a happy day than a sad one. You'll see why. Here's my story.

It was a Sunday. I slept in till about 11, as usual. When I woke up, I had a small lunch, and got washed and dressed. I got ready to walk to Gill's house to return his sweater vest that he he'd left here yesterday. But just as I walked out the door, I realized that Gill always went to the church on Sundays at 1:00. I checked my watch. It was 12:30. I figured I could run down and return it quickly, but then he'd have to leave and I'd be bored. I made a decision to just wait until he got back at 2:00 and return it then. Maybe if he wasn't doing anything we could hang out for the day. Maybe go fishing out on the ocean (Gill is a pro now at fishing, did I mention that?), or ride my horses in the woods and just talk. Well, what I got wasn't exactly horses in the woods, but we did talk. And this time, it wasn't about nothing in particular. It was about the one thing we had in common. Our past tragedies. Not a very fun subject, eh? But I'll get to that later.

I considered what I could do to pass the time. I even thought about going to the church myself and just sitting with him. But I didn't want to distract him or make him feel uncomfortable. I know that Gill goes there to think about his mother. To pray that… well, I don't really know exactly what he prays. But I do know that he has a special connection with his mother there, because she used to run the church. It's still open today, and Hamilton runs the masses now, on Mondays at 6:00. But it's not the same. Gill's mother (I found out her name was Elaine) made a huge difference. At least that's what I've heard. People have told me her sweet and caring personality made her like the mother of the island. Gill told me people used to call her the "Goddess in disguise". I thought about all this and decided not to go to the church. It was meant to be a special time between Gill and his mother. And I understood that. So instead, I ended up taking a walk around Waffle Town to kill time.

I dropped into all the stores, just to say hi. The tailors had moved back to the island, and their shop was also open, so I decided to buy a new outfit. I even went to get a quick check-up from Dr. Jin. I was done around 2-ish, but I figured it would take Gill some time to walk home. I thought I had enough time to go back to my house and put my new outfit away before going to Gill's. Besides, I had nothing else up for the day, so what the heck?

I did go home, and even though I was in no rush, I _ran_ straight back to Waffle Town. What can I say? I was excited to see Gill. He was my best friend.

I knew I would find Gill in his house. Even though he was really starting to lighten up and have fun, he had trouble talking to the other villagers. I think it was because each store and person held some memory of his mother. And I didn't. Because I never met his mother. I went up to Gill's door and knocked. Nothing happened. I knocked again, and still, nothing. Maybe he wasn't home? I turned the doorknob just to see, but it turns out it was opened. That meant someone was home. Because I knew for a fact that Hamilton never, ever left his house unlocked if someone wasn't there. Don't ask me why, the point is irrelevant. So I quietly walked inside. I didn't think Gill would mind; I had done it before. Plus, Hamilton said I was always welcome there.

I listened for a second, seeing if I could hear the TV or the stove, or something to let me know where Gill was. And I did. I heard music. And singing. It came from upstairs. I silently made my way up, not wanting the music to stop. It was beautiful. Gill's door was open, but just a crack, so I walked up and peeked in. It was Gill that was singing. And he was playing his grand piano in the corner of his room. His back was to me, so he didn't see me. I stayed there watching and listening for a while, until something in the music struck me as familiar. Then I realized he was singing the song my mother used to sing to me as a child. I listened more closely. Though Gill was singing quietly, he had a beautiful voice. It was smooth, just like his laugh, and clear. I was able to hear every word he sang.

_I'll carry you in hard times, _

_And laugh with you in good, _

_I'll be beside you always, _

_Just like a mother should._

_There's….There's no…..There's no…._

Gill stopped playing. He sang the words over and over again, probably hoping the rest would come to him. But it didn't. He put his face in his hands and rested his elbows on the edge of the piano. He couldn't remember the rest. But I could. As I opened the door wider, I thought, maybe I shouldn't. But it felt right, and I wanted to. So I started singing as I walked in the room.

_There's no one I love more,_

_Than you, my precious little one,_

_When I see your smiling face_

_Beaming like the sun._

Gill turned around slowly as I was singing, and watched me walk up beside the piano. I could see that he'd been crying. But the tears had stopped. Through his eyes, I saw his surprise, but he soon relaxed. Gill started playing again, just as I was finishing my verse. Then, with him looking into my eyes, and mine looking into his, we sang the last verse; Gill's voice blending beautifully with mine, and his harmony perfect.

_But if things don't go as planned,_

_And we must be apart,_

_Just think of me, and I'll be there,_

_Forever in your heart…_

_Just think of me and I'll be theeeeerrrrre_

_Forever in youuuuuur…hearrrrrt._

The last line was magical. Gill finished the music, but even after he stopped, we continued to look at each other. Tears were forming in Gill's eyes. One ran down his cheek, and he turned his head to look at his knees. I could see the tears streaming down his face, but he didn't make a sound. I sat down beside him and put my arm around his shoulders, hoping to comfort him the way he did with me when I was crying. After about two minutes, Gill broke the silence.

"My mother used to sing me that song," Gill said quietly.

"Mine too," I replied.

"This was her piano too. She taught me everything I know." Gill paused still looking at his knees. "Angela, how do you forget? About…about your parents?" Gill asked, tears still in his eyes. I reached into my pocket and gave him a tissue.

"I don't forget, I just…I just cope. It took me a long time Gill, believe me. I even went into depression as a child that was so bad I needed pills and doctors." I explained quietly.

"But how? How do…you cope? Being happy isn't enough Angela," Gill said. Then he looked at me. "When I'm with you, I have fun and I am happy, but that doesn't change my emotions towards…my mother. I want to…live my life…without being sad about her."

"Gill, as much as you don't want to, you will always be sad. But I can help you not be as sad as you are now. I can help you cope, like I did…like I do." I squeezed his shoulder. "Let's take a walk. I'll tell you my story."

"Gill nodded, and stood up with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He hugged me back. After we pulled apart, we made our way downstairs and outside. I came up beside him and took his hand. We walked out of Waffle Town, and into Caramel River District. No one but me lived there so all the lots were empty. I figured it would be a nice place to talk without interruptions. I led Gill to my favourite spot, under a big tree in a lot near my house. We both sat down, leaning against the large trunk. And I began my story.

"Gill," I said softly, "forgive me if I get upset. I'll try my best not to, but what I'm about to tell you brings back memories. They're not bad ones, but they hurt just the same. But I think I can help you. So I'll tell you."

"Don't be afraid, Angela," Gill said looking down at me. "I'm here." He put his arm around my shoulders. It's funny. He wasn't really the social contact type of guy when I first met him. But he'd really changed.

I took a deep breath and began my story.

"I used to live on a farm. From a baby to age 8, that's all I can remember. Climbing trees, going fishing, caring for the animals, harvesting the crops. Everything a normal farm girl would do. I loved my farm. I loved the smell, the air, the sky at night, the freshly grown crops, and everything else about it. It just felt right. Like I was meant to live there." Tears began forming in my eyes. "But in the summer when I was 8 years old, my whole life changed. When I came home from school, I found a woman sitting on my front porch. As I walked up to her, she told me how my parents had been shopping for my birthday, and they were stabbed to death by a deranged, psychopathic man. She told me they weren't coming back, and she was taking me to an orphanage about 3 hours away from my house."

"She told me to pack up my belongings and anything special I wanted to take with me. It only took me two minutes because I really had nothing other than my locket that my parents gave me that I wanted to take. I remember crying as I packed my clothes and toothbrush, and looking behind me in the direction of my farm as the woman led me to the train station." Tears were silently falling down my cheeks. I stopped for a minute.

Gill grabbed a tissue out of his pocket and wiped the tears away from my cheeks. He said, "I'm sorry Angela. You had a hard life."

"I know," I replied. "I did. I grew up in the orphanage till I was 18, old enough to get away. I really hated the orphanage. Most kids were mean and rude and some would beat you up. I was one of the youngest there at first. So I was the one they picked on, because I was small. I went into depression growing up, and the only thing that kept me from committing suicide, or from screaming when the doctors injected me with needles, was that I would be free when I was 18."

"Finally that day came, and the first thing I did was take the train to visit my old farm. Nobody ever sold the house, I guess in memory of my mother and father. I explored the dusty, broken down house, but I was overcome with memories, so bad that I wanted to leave. But I knew I needed a place like this. I had always known that I would live on a farm when I grew up. After I went to college to explore my knowledge, I came here, to Waffle Island. I used to dream for hours about the day I could own my own farm, and follow in my parents' footsteps. Where I could marry, and raise my children. And finally I got there. Almost. I've started my dream. Living here made me happy. It helped me to cope easier, knowing my parents were watching me from somewhere and were proud of me."

By now Gill was crying too. We sat in silence for a few minutes, his arm around my shoulders, my head resting on his chest. Then I started to speak again.

"But that's not what I wanted to tell you," I said to Gill. "It was something my father told me as a child. It was another thing, besides knowing I was getting out at 18, that kept me going each day in the orphanage." I began to explain.

"My father was a happy man. It always seemed like nothing bothered him. He found the good things in every situation, no matter how bad the situation was. And one day, I finally asked him how. I asked him how he stayed so calm all the time. I asked him how he saw the good things in life. This is what he told me." I said.

'_Life's a game, Angela. You may have a plan for it, but Life, like a game, can sometimes trick you. It wants you to stray from your plan, and lose. But I never do. Do you know why? Because I never give Life the satisfaction of beating me. I change my plan around to work with what I've got. I see how I can fix the mistakes Life made me make in the past. And by doing just that, I always win. That's why I am happy, Angela. Because I know that life will never get the better of me, no matter what obstacles it throws in my way. I will wake up everyday and say "Bring it on, Life," because I am always ready for the challenge.'_

I recited my father's words to Gill, exactly how I remembered them. When I finished, I looked up at him, to see what he thought. He looked a little confused, but thoughtful.

"Angela, I can see your father's point. But I don't understand what that means in my life. How it relates to my mother," Gill told me, softly.

"Well Gill, I didn't understand what it had to do with my life at first, either. It wasn't until I was 15, that I really started to understand," I said, no longer crying. "Let me show you." I paused, thinking of how to explain.

"What do you want the outcome to be when you play a game?" I asked Gill.

"Well, I want to win of course," he replied.

"That's right. Everyone does. Though the game itself may be fun, no one would bother playing if they knew they would lose right from the start. But how do you win?"

"Well," Gill said, "You play by the rules in the best way you can."

"Yes. And you have a plan. But that plan never turns out exactly like you wanted it to. Because of things that other players do. So what happens, when another play ruins your next move by doing something according to his own plan?" I asked Gill.

"You try to find another way to win…," Gill's face lit up. I think he was starting to see.

"That's right. You change your plan, sometimes a little change, sometimes a big one, to help you win." I smiled.

"And if your plan gets messed up again, you make another one!" Gill finished happily.

"You got it Gill! So let's take my life for example," I said. "Being young, I didn't have a particular plan for life. My game was just starting out, and at the beginning of a game, no one's plan is really distinct. But I'll tell you one thing. My parents' death was the last thing I expected to interfere with my plan. But another player, the psychopathic man, made it happen. It took me a while to pick up the pieces of my old plan. But when I did, I found another plan within those pieces. When I was in the orphanage, I was sad, and didn't know where I was going, but as time went on, I came to understand my father's words. I knew what my next move would be when I turned 18. And that's why I decided to go to college. To expand my knowledge. I wanted to learn about life as much as I could, as the education in the orphanage was terrible. But the main reason I did this, was because I knew I would go on to own a farm soon after, so I needed the proper education."

"Throughout college, Life threw things at me everyday, to try and stop my plan. But I knew the secret. And I always beat life. I failed a course? I took it again. I certain teacher hated me? I became the top student in his class. Someone stole my essay that I worked for hours on? I wrote another one. Though it was hard work, the satisfaction of jumping over Life's obstacles kept me going."

"And what's funny about all this, is that sometimes, in Life's attempt to ruin our chances of winning, Life actually makes it easier to win. And I believe that's what happened to me. Though I loved my parents and would have preferred that they were alive today, I realize that it that were true, my plan would have been different, and I would not be where I am right now. In some cases that might be good, but I know that Life would throw more obstacles at me anyway, no matter what path I took. And I may have never realized that true meaning of what my father had told me. So in ways, I don't wish my parents hadn't died. But only because that event may have made me stronger. It gave me strength to play the game of life."

"And that's where I am today. Still playing, still fighting Life's obstacles. But you know what Gill? I truly believe that right now, I am winning. And when it's my turn to leave this world, I will always know I've won, because I beat life in its biggest attempt to tear my plan apart. I'll always look at my parents' death as Life's big obstacle that really helped me instead of wrecked me. I'm playing the game, Gill. And I'm winning. And that," I finished, "is how I cope."

Gill was speechless. He looked at me and nodded through his tears. "I…I understand now Angela. I see what I must do. I don't need to forget my mother, but I need to look at her death differently. I must show Life that it cannot change me. That my plan will continue, no matter what Life throws at me." Gill paused and then winked at me. "It will be hard, but if you can do it, kid, so can I."

"I'm happy I could help, Gill," I said. "And to be honest, there's nowhere I'd rather be right now, than here with you. As funny as it may seem, you helped me too. When we were having fun together, it gave me proof that I was winning. That Life had lost. I had found the friend I had dreamed of all my life. That part of my plan is now complete."

"Thank you Angela. Nothing has ever changed me more. You are my best friend. My first step in my new plan. And I'm glad I met you," Gill said, half-smiling.

"Let's go back to my house Gill. We can eat and play a card game. Let's put my dad's theory to the test."

It was a fun evening. Gill stayed till 9, and we never stopped having fun in that time. Gill left with a new jump in his step, which really made me know that I had helped him. And right now, I'm looking forward to the future, to spending time with Gill, to defeating Life's plans. So right now I'm going to bed. Tomorrow's a new day. And like, my father used to say, 'Bring it on, Life!'

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Even though the story might seem as if it ends here, it doesn't. I've still got a big part to write. Because of course, it's a romance story too. So keep reading, please. The next chapter should be out soon. And don't forget to review! I like getting new suggestions.


	8. The Ship

Ok, so here's the next chapter with Angela and Gill. In this one, Angela is starting to realize her feelings for Gill. Enjoy!

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**Year 1, Summer, Day 21**

I love my life here. It's amazing. And I would never give it up for anything.

Gill's really changed. Just yesterday, Hamilton came over and thanked me for helping Gill through his hard time. He said I was like the "goddess in disguise". I blushed, of course, because I didn't see how I could ever compare to Elaine, who had changed so many lives before she died. But I felt good nevertheless. It really made me think that I was fulfilling my role in life. Helping someone cope with a tragedy that you had also, really makes you feel like a good person. And that person being your best friend makes it even better.

I'm also really happy to say, that Gill is finally starting to open up to others too. Though many people on this island still remind him of his mother, he seems to be a little better. Of course, I can always tell when he's had one of those "rough" days, but everyone has those. I'm happy to see that when he's having a good day, he's in a good mood to everyone, not in one of those snits he was in the first time I met him.

Today, Gill and I got together again. I thought it was just gonna be one of those "whatever" kinda days. But I was so wrong. I saw something today that I'd never seen before. My day went from "fun" to "super amazing" in one moment. Let me tell you about it.

Gill came over around 1:00, like he always does. He knocked on the door just as I was brushing my teeth. I had just come out of the shower after a morning of hard work in the field. And I wasn't even dressed, but I didn't care this time. Wearing a bathrobe and foamy toothpaste all over my lips and chin, I opened the door, made a cheesy toothpastey smile at Gill, and motioned for him to come in. He just laughed.

"Angela, you are so weird," Gill said laughing. He walked right in and made himself at home on my sofa. Did I mention my house was really coming along? With all the money I've been making, I've been able to buy some really nice pieces of furniture.

I rinsed my mouth, and went into my room to change. I put on some shorts, and started to put my bra on, when the hook got tangled deep in the material. Ugh, dammit. This happened to me a lot. Normally I'd end up having to chop it off with scissors because it was too tight to pull over my head. Then I'd have to go buy a new one. This was like the third time this week that it'd happened. But then I remembered Gill was here.

"Hey Gill!" I shouted from the bedroom. "C'mere for a sec!"

Gill walked up to my door and asked, "What?"

"Come in, I need you," I answered.

Gill walked in and again, asked, "What?" Didn't even blink. It was funny how close we'd become. My guy friend didn't even care about seeing me without a shirt on.

"My bra is stuck, at the back somewhere. I need you to fix it for me."

"Kay." As Gill walked closer, I turned my back towards him. He fumbled with the back of my bra with his hands, touching my skin, and I swear, for a second I shivered. His hands. They were…so…I don't know. I forgot the thought almost instantly. After all, he was my friend. _Just_ my friend. Gill was careful not to prick me with the hook, and when he got it undone, he held it there for me to grab, making sure not to actually take the bra off. _That_ would have been kinda awkward.

"Thanks Gill," I said, tossing a shirt over my head. "Hey, throw these in my bathtub for me, wouldja?" I asked handing him a bunch of dirty clothes on the floor. I realized that in that pile there were numerous pairs of underwear and bras, but I shrugged it off.

"Ya, sure. You almost ready?" Gill asked walking to the bathroom.

"Yep. Lets go," I replied. We both walked out of my room, Gill flicking the light switch off as we left. I walked to the door slipped my sandals on. Gill opened the door for me, motioning for me to go first. I smiled, walking out, him right behind me. Once I heard the door shut, I turned to him.

"So Fish-boy? Got any ideas for today?"

"Well, I was thinking about… maybe going for a ride to the Gull Islands? I know a really good place for swimming there." Gill paused. "Only if you want to of course."

"Sure! Sounds fun!" I replied. I was happy Gill had an idea, cause I had nothing.

"Ok, meet me down by the dock. Oh ya, and you probably will need your bathing suit. And a towel." Gill smiled. "So much for that bra, eh?"

"Haha, ya. As I turned to my house again to get my bathing suit and a towel, Gill started running away from my house. "Hey! Where are you going?" I called.

"To get the tickets and my swim trunks. Meet me by the dock," he called back.

Whatever. I figured he had a plan. So I grabbed my towel, bathing suit, and some sunscreen, because I burn easily. Then I walked down to Waffle Town at a steady pace.

I saw Gill waiting for me as I approached the dock. I glanced up at the clock tower. It was 1:55. The boat leaves at 2:00. Just in time. I waved to Gill, and ran up beside him. But before I had the chance to ask him what was in the bag he was holding, Pascal yelled out, "The boat is leaving in 5 minutes. Everyone on board please!"

There weren't many other people going on the boat. There was Toby, of course, planning to fishing on the islands, and Renee with him. She was holding his hand. Ha! I always knew those two were close.

There was also Maya, probably sent by Yolanda to find some fruits for cocktails. Selena was also there, and I didn't really know why. But then again, you didn't need a specific reason to take a trip to the Islands. Maybe she just wanted some sun. Although I couldn't see her getting anymore tanned. Her brown skin looked like it could last through winter.

We all got onto the boat, single file. Gill and I picked two seats near the back, because my favourite thing to do was look backwards at Waffle Town getting smaller and smaller. As we sat down, Pascal came around collecting our tickets. Then he went to the front of the boat and we were off on the one hour ride to the islands.

Gill and I didn't really talk much on the ride there. Mostly because Selena came up beside Gill and started talking to him first. I tried not to listen, because I didn't want to be rude, but I found I was very much interested in their conversation.

"So Gill," Selena said in that sexy, annoying voice of hers. "How are you?"

"Fine, Selena, thanks. How're you?"

"Just simply delighted. I loooooove going out to the islands to get a bit of that glorious sunshine," She said, smiling her fake little smile. "It that what you're doing?"

"Uh, sort of. Angela and I were going to go swimming for a while," Gill said pointing at me. I turned towards her and smiled a little, waving slightly. She kind of half sneered-half smiled. That bitch. She never liked me. Whatever. I didn't like her either.

"Oh, I see. Well that's fun too, I guess. But you really should come and tan with me sometime," Selena said to Gill. Then she brushed her fingers across Gill's cheek, stood up, and moved to another seat. Good.

Gill's face was red. He didn't look at me, but instead at the ground. I didn't know why he liked that. Couldn't he see she was just playing with him? But of course, it was Selena. She could make Craig, the grumpy old farmer, blush if she wanted to.

For the rest of the ride, I snoozed, still kinda tired from the hard work that morning. I woke up to Gill's voice in my ear saying, "We're here Angela, let's go."

I realized my head had leaned while I was sleeping and I was resting on his shoulder. I quickly got up, grabbed my bags and followed the others off the boat. Gill followed.

"So, where's this great swimming spot of yours?"

"I'll show you, c'mon," Gill replied motioning for me to follow him. We walked for about 5 minutes, to the other side of the island.

"Ok, Angela. This is it. It doesn't look much different from the rest of the beach, but wait until you get in the water." Then he reached in his bag, and pulled out two pairs of masks and two snorkels.

"Oh! Now I get it. We're going snorkeling! Awesome!"

"Ya, it looks really pretty under the water. C'mon let's hurry so we can get in," he said, pointing towards out bags. Gill went into the bush first to change. I waited patiently for him to come out, and when he did, I almost jumped in surprise. He was wearing normal black swim trunks. But that's not what I was staring at. I was too busy looking at his chest. I'd always thought of Gill as a tall, skinny guy, and he was, but there was more I didn't know about. He wasn't super buff and muscular like Owen or Luke, but his abs and pecs were definitely built.

I finally got myself together and went into the bush to change. My bathing suit was nothing to look at. It was a two piece, but _not _a bikini. I hated those things. They were uncomfortable and showed your whole body to everyone. Something that Selena would wear. But I had more self dignity. My bathing suit composed of dark purple shorties and a top that looked more like a sports bra than a bikini. It was light green with purple flowers in it.

After I came out of the bush and put my clothes in the bag, I looked at Gill. Nothing about me seemed to impress him. But then again, I wasn't very much to look at in the first place. I doubted that a simple two piece bathing suit would change the way people looked at me. I quickly bent down and grabbed the sunscreen. I lathered up, until all that was left was my back.

"Hey Gill, would you mind getting my back for me?" I asked.

"Uh, yep, but you gotta do mine too."

"Kay."

Gill grabbed the bottle, squeezed out some lotion and rubbed it on my back. I shivered. It was cold, but I realized it wasn't for that reason. I really liked the feel of his hands on my back. Stop, Angela! Get a grip! He's your friend. Stop thinking like that. Jeez!

As Gill finished, he passed me the bottle, and I put some sunscreen on his back. We waited for about 2 minutes, just long enough for it to soak into our skin, and then we were off. Grabbing a mask and snorkel, I ran for the water, splashing right in. It was quite warm. Gill followed me, and soon we were right up to our necks in water.

Gill put his mask and snorkel on and waited for me to do the same. I did, and was about to go underwater, when Gill stopped me.

"Wait, stupid!" He said pulling out his snorkel. "Your snorkel is only two inches long right now. Won't be able to go very deep! Here, watch me." Gill put his snorkel back in his mouth. He gently pulled on the top, and it extended to about 12 inches. Then he twisted it a bit, so it locked in place.

Cool. I did the same thing. I waited for Gill to put his head underwater first, and then followed him. It was still not too deep, so I could touch the sand with my feet. I stood looking in awe at the beautiful fish and corals of all different colours. It was like a rainbow in the water. Then Gill took my hand and started swimming out deeper. He gave me a look that said, 'Just wait. There's more!'

Wondering how things could get any better than this, I followed him. Nothing would prepare me for what I was about to see.

We swam out for about three minutes, when I started to see a black haze further out. That water was definitely 30 feet deep by now (it got deep fast), but it was as clear as glass. I don't know if it was the sunshine or what, but I could see every rock, seaweed, and fish down there. Then the black haze became more defined. I stopped swimming right there, staring in amazement. You know how you always read about those giant ship wrecks in books and think about what it would be like to actually see one? Well I did actually see one. Today. Though it was old and broken, and pretty small, there was something beautiful about the old ship, resting on the ocean floor. Gill saw my amazement, so he turned upward and broke the surface, treading water, motioning for me to do the same. I did, mostly because I wanted to know more about this miraculous wreck. When my head popped out of the water, we both removed our snorkels and masks.

"What the hell is something like _that _doing here?" I asked Gill, still in awe.

"It's a shipwreck that I found here when I was 17. I'm not really sure when it sank or why. But I think I'm the only one who knows about it. Other than you of course."

"You didn't tell your father?"

"Well, no," Gill admitted. "I was going to, but something held me back. I knew no one would ever find out, because no one ever swims this far out. Except for me."

"Wow, Gill, I have to admit, it's really neat. I've always wanted to see a ship wreck."

"Ya, it's pretty cool. I just thought it would be nice to show it to you. I know I can trust you with the secret." Gill smiled at me.

I smiled back. It was really amazing. I didn't see why it was such a big secret, but I didn't care. I wouldn't tell anyone if Gill didn't wanted me too.

"Gill, what held you back?" I asked. "From telling people about this, I mean."

"Well… I dunno… it just seems so serene, so silent, and so pretty. I knew if I was to tell my father, he's make it into a huge deal. Probably use it to get more people to come to the island. People would swim out here all the time, just to see it. It would ruin the beauty. That's why I thought it was best to leave it alone." Gill paused for a minute and closed his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well…it's not just for that reason. To tell you the truth, there is something about that shipwreck that reminds me of my mother. Not in a sad way, but in a good way. Like even though she's passed on, she's still here, watching over me. The ship is dead too, but its remains have lingered. I feel connected to that boat somehow."

"I see…" I replied softly.

"Do you think it's selfish? Keeping it just for me? Sometimes I think I _should _tell everyone. But I never do."

"I don't think you're selfish Gill. If it was me, I'd do the same thing. I am happy you showed it to me though," I replied smiling.

"Good," Gill said, satisfied.

We stayed there, admiring the boat for a while. We floated on our backs, talking, and played tag under the water. It was fun, and every now and then we'd stop again just to look at the boat.

I guessed about an hour and a half had gone by when Gill said, "What do you say we take off back to shore now?"

"Race you!" I said, putting my mask and snorkel on again and taking off. Gill was soon right on my tail. Of course, since we were far out, we only swam about 100 meters before we got tired and agreed to just swim back slowly. We floated on our backs, talking about nothing whatsoever, and even played a few rounds of our "dunking" game. I hate to admit it, but Gill won that one. By the time we finally got back to shore and out of the water, it looked like it was about 5. The sun was on way its way down, and later turned into a beautiful sunset. We walked around the island for a while, and found some coconuts, bananas and pineapples for supper. We talked while we ate and enjoyed the sunset. Then the boat horn sounded. That meant it was 7:45. The boat would leave in 15 minutes.

"Time to go, I guess," said Gill, a little disappointed.

I sighed. I didn't really want to leave. "Should we change first? The boat doesn't leave for fifteen minutes."

"Ya, ok. You can go first," Gill offered.

So I changed quickly, and then Gill did. We packed up our things, headed back to the boat and got on. As we were waiting for the others to board, I felt myself get sleepy. I was almost out when I leaned down and rested my head on Gill's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't mind. He didn't. As I leaned down, my hair fell across my face. Gill gently tucked it behind my ear, then rested his head on mine. I'm not sure if he actually fell asleep, though.

That's all I remember, up to now. I woke up about 10 minutes ago, and now it's Sunday. It's about 7:15. I guess Gill must have carried me home. And helped me change into my nightgown. And put me to bed. What a nice friend. I guess I really couldn't ask for anything more. Or could I?

Well, there was something that I'd been planning to do yesterday, but I never found the chance. So I'm going to try today. I wonder how Gill will react.

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I know there's a cliffhanger ending, but I'm hoping to post the next chapter soon. I know not many people are reading this story anyway, but whatever. It makes me feel good to add new chapters! Thanks for reading, those of you who've stuck with the whole story so far. It will get better, as always. :)


	9. Ruined

Ok, so this chapter is really short, but important. Hope you enjoy!

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**Year 1, Summer, Day 23**

It was not one of my best days today, I'll tell you that. It definitely wasn't fun.

It was a Monday today. Not a day I usually get to see Gill, because he works on Mondays. But today I saw him. In fact, he came to my house. But not for a reason that made me happy. In fact, it messed up everything.

I had started to feel differently towards Gill. I'll admit it; I really liked him. As a friend, yes, but also as something more. And I was planning to ask him to the firefly festival tomorrow. I know it was meant for couples, and we weren't one, but I thought since neither of us had dates, we could go together. That was before I found out that Gill did have a date. It wasn't an easy thing to miss. Mostly because Gill came to my house at 6'freakin'30 in the morning, knocking on my door continuously until I opened it.

"Gill, what the hell? It's 6:30 in the morning," I said groggily as leaned against the door.

"I'm sorry Angela, but it's an emergency. Please?"

"Ok, what is it?" I asked.

"Can I come in?"

"Uhh, ya," I said, opening the door wider.

Gill came in and sat at my kitchen table. I sat beside him. Gill started rambling.

"Oh my goddess Angela, Guess what? Selena asked me to the firefly festival tomorrow! And I don't know what to do. I haven't been on a date since I was 14. I'm nervous. She makes me nervous. But I like her. What do I do, what do I do? Please help me!"

Because I was tired, it took me a moment to register what he'd just said. But the words "Selena" and "Firefly Festival" helped me figure it out pretty quickly. I didn't respond.

"Angela?" Gill said waving his hand in my face. "Angela, help me! I'm sorry I came so early, but it was the only time! I have to work at 7:30! Will you help me get ready? Oh my, I don't even know what to wear! What about my hair? Is it too nerdy? Should I spike it? Should I –"

I cupped my hand over Gill's mouth, cutting him off in mid-sentence. I waited for him to calm down. Then I spoke.

"Gill… I don't think I can help you. I've never been on a date before. How would I know?" I said the last line with acid in my voice. I didn't feel bad at all. I was mad. I hated Selena, and Gill totally idolized her. And now, I couldn't go with Gill to the festival.

Gill looked taken aback. It had been a long time since I had gotten angry at him.

"I'm sorry, Angela," Gill said holding his hands up innocently. "I just thought you could help me…"

"Gill, don't you realize what's happening? Selena's playing with you! How can you not see that? Have you ever even talked to her before that boat ride?" I was yelling now. "She just wants to take advantage of you Gill. Trust me. I may not have been on a date before, but I know a phony when I see her. She doesn't actually like you! It's your body she likes!"

"She does too like me! And FYI, I have talked to her before that day on the boat. Much more than you've talked to any guy before!" Gill shouted, angrily. "Better shape up, Angela. You'll never get married with that attitude."

I yelled back, this time in exasperation. "I'm only trying to not let you get hurt! I've seen this before. I know what happens. You want to encourage Selena? Then go! Have fun being her rag doll!"

Gill's eyes narrowed. "Fine then. Be that way. Thought I could count on my _best friend _could help me, but I guess not!" He yelled. And with that, he rushed out of the door, slamming it behind him.

I didn't want to think about what just happened. But I did. After all that, I couldn't get back to sleep. So I went outside to water my plants and feed my animals. When I came back inside, I finally broke down crying, wondering if I had lost my best friend for good.

Throughout the whole day, I thought about Gill and Selena. About how they didn't match at all. Then I thought about Gill's perfect match. Or at least who I thought was his perfect match. Me.

It made so much sense! We went through the same things, had fun together, understood each other, and were best friends. What more could let you know? But he didn't see me that way. I was just a friend to him (Well, maybe not anymore). And Selena was a potential bride. Jeez, that thought made me mad.

Well, Life…I guess killing my parents wasn't enough, right? Need to make me more miserable? Well I'm not giving up. I'll get my Gill back. Somehow. When he stops hating me again. Bring it on.

* * *

Well, Angela's not giving up. Hmm... Let's see what I can do now. I love playing around with stories. Next chapter coming soon.


	10. Firefly Fun

Alright, so this chapter get's a little more heavy. Nothing too serious, but just though I'd give the warning anyway. This chapter was actually very fun to write. Hope you enjoy.

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**Year 1, Summer, Day 24 (Firefly Festival)**

I hate Selena. I really, really, really hate her. I wish there was another way to describe her. Oh ya… there is… she's a dirty bitch. That just about describes it. Want to hear about my day? Don't mind the rips in my journal pages; I am literally killing the paper as I write because I am so pissed. I've never been this mad for a while. Maybe even in my whole life.

The funny thing is, you'd think I would be mad at Selena for stealing my Gill, so I couldn't go with him to the Firefly Festival. Well, that was the case, at first. But now, it's a whole different ball game. Read and see.

So I couldn't go with Gill to the Firefly Festival. That option was out. But I could still go. Single. Yes, it might be a little embarrassing, but right now, I truly didn't care. Then I thought of another idea. I could just ask someone else! Someone hot enough to make Gill jealous, and hopefully, Selena too. I was betting on the chance that she'd like my guy over Gill, because once Selena sets her eye on someone that she thinks has potential, she never stops until she gets him. Or her. I know, gross with the "her" thing, but it's true. This girl has done everything. I happen to know it was Kathy… Ugh…

So, as this idea had the most chance of happening, I started thinking for a suitable hot guy. I decided to take a walk while I thought. As I passed people on the island, I considered them.

Toby? Very cute, but not_ hot. _ He definitely had a kid-like appearance. And his personality wasn't far of from that either. Plus, he liked Renee.

How about Dr. Jin? Hot in a way, but too old. I happen to know he is 35. Plus, he's been dating Anissa for 5 years. There was a 100% chance he would be going with her.

Calvin? He was definitely hot, but unfortunately, already on Selena's list of "Already Done."

Dammit, this was hard.

Chase? Ugh… he would be perfect if he wasn't gay. He was hot, but taken by Bo. Hmm… the cook and the carpenter. Weird couple.

Owen? Hmm. Not bad, not bad, the muscles would definitely help. But I'd heard he was out of town for the week. Somewhere called Mineral Town, hanging out with his friend Gray. Jeez, of all the days. I could've used him. But then I thought how he was one of my good friends. I guess I really didn't want to do that to him, in case it made things weird between us.

Julius. One word. Girl. I heard he'd actually got changed… Ewww.

I thought I was all out of guys. Until I passed by Dale's carpentry. And saw Luke sweating away while he was sawing. I considered him. He barely had any knowledge at all, except for carpentry, but he had the body and face to be defined as hot. And I knew Selena didn't care how smart here "subjects" were.

Now, I guess you might say, it would be mean of me to use Luke that way. And I know that. But at that moment, I was not myself. So I asked him.

"Hey Luke," I said approaching him, trying out a hard, smooth, voice. "I was wondering if you had a date to the Firefly Festival?"

"Oh hi, Angie! Umm, no, I don't have a date. Just figured I'd stick around here to finish my work tonight."

"Well," I said, running my fingers lightly across his back, "I don't have a date either. We could go together, that is, if you really wanted to go."

"Haha, seriously? You wanna go out with me? Sure, Angie, I'll go. Meet me at 7, at Caramel Falls, Kay?"

"Sure thing, Luke. I'll be there." I waved, and as I turned around to walk home, a little evil smile came across my face. I'm so bad eh? Man, if I was actually myself at that moment, I would have run into a tree or something. To try and get back to normal. I had never been this warped by anger. But, right at that moment, I could do nothing to change it.

So I went to the Firefly Festival with Luke. It was interesting. Here's what happened.

I put on a cute top and tight skinny jeans before it was time to go. I curled my hair with a curling iron, and put some eye shadow and mascara on. I walked out the door at five to seven, because I lived right beside Caramel Falls. I brought my blanket with me. But when I arrived, I didn't see Luke. I figured he wasn't there yet. So I picked a spot on the grass, spread out my blanket, and sat down.

I'd only been sitting for one minute when Little Miss Asshole walked right by me, holding Gill's hand. Gill didn't look at me, but Selena did, and she gave me a huge smirk that turned into a sneer. They sat down about 15 yards from me and a little bit in front of me. I had a good view of everything they were doing.

Just then, Selena whispered something to Gill, and he nodded. Then she started walking towards me.

"Hey, bitch, all alone on this pleasant night?" Selena asked me.

"Aww, I'm sorry, you must have the wrong person. My date's right over there," I said pointing downstream. Luke was walking towards me and when he saw me, he smiled and waved. Perfect timing.

"Well! I must say, didn't think you could ever get a guy. So, how much did you pay him?"

"Oh, I didn't pay him anything. Just promised him a little action tonight," I said slyly.

"Ooo, getting frisky now aren't ya, you little slut?" Selena sneered at me.

"Hmm, looks who's talking, Miss "I've done _everyone_!"

By this time, Luke was close enough to sit down. Selena turned from a bitch to a sexy woman in one second.

"So Luke," Selena began, "Couldn't find anything better?" She obviously meant me.

"Huh?" Good thing Luke wasn't smart.

"Oh, nevermind. Just remember that I'm always open if you need a real woman." And with that, she smiled at him and walked her sexy walk back to Gill.

Luke was confused. "What was that about?"

"Ah, nothing. C'mon, let's enjoy the fireflies."

We sat in silence for a while, and in my peripheral vision, I caught Gill stealing glances at me and Luke. I made sure to get as close to Luke as possible.

Selena, saw that Gill was distracted, so she immediately grabbed his face and started kissing him, knowing that I was watching. It was gross. Selena's version of kissing was way different from mine. First of all, it was more like making out. Selena was rubbing her hands all over Gill's chest and then slid one hand up under his shirt. She started kissing his neck and face all over, stealing glances at me, the whole time.

Ugh, I was getting mad. So you know what I did? The same thing. I know, I know, it's never good to sink to your enemy's level, but like I said, I was not myself today.

I took Luke's face in my hands and kissed him lightly, then again, with more pressure. He responded immediately, his arms clutching my hips and pulling me towards him. I'd say, for my first time kissing, I did pretty good. We weren't making out hard core like Selena and Gill, but I was definitely bothering Selena. She frowned and gave me a dirty look while Gill was kissing her neck.

Ugh. I just wanted to shout 'Gill stop that!' But I couldn't. That would mess up everything.

We continued to kiss at different points throughout the evening, some sessions lasting longer than others. Unfortunately, so did Gill and Selena. When it was 10:00, everyone started packing up. I could sense Gill looking at me, but I never looked back to catch his eye.

When they walked by Luke and I, Gill glanced quickly into my eyes. I gave him a "I hope you know what you're getting into" look. He just stared naively back. I really think he didn't have a clue what he was getting into. Yes he was older than me, but so naïve in some ways. I think his life without his mother made him oblivious to the world around him for a while, and he missed the "teenager, puberty, sex-talk" part of his life.

Well, I wasn't about to have that talk with him. I just hoped Hamilton had told him something. I watched him leave; still looking at him, as he shot glances back at me. Finally, when they were out of sight, Luke and I packed up, and he walked me home.

"That was fun, Angie, thanks!" Luke sounded like he really meant it. He leaned in to give me a warm hug, and then smiled at me. "I'd love to go out again sometime!" Then he turned and started walking home.

I sighed. It was then that I started to feel bad for using Luke. He was such a nice guy. Just like Owen. I hoped that if all this didn't turn out in a mess, we could be friends.

I went inside and got into my nightgown. Right now, I'm so tired I think I could fall asleep right here. So I'm going to bed now. I guess I'll just have to wait to find out what happened with Selena and Gill. I hope it was nothing too serious.

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Ok, so there ya go. A typical jealously chapter.

By, the way, please don't criticize for the way I used the other guys in harvest moon. Trust me, I don't want Chase to be gay or Julius to be a girl. I just needed excuses for Angela. Plus, secretly, I find Chase hotter when I consider him gay. :P


	11. Hurting, Hopeing, Healing

I enjoyed writing this chapter. The story needed some spark, and that's why I put in the last two chapters. Here they are being resolved.

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**Year 1, Fall, Day 1**

Almost a week has past since I've seen Gill. And the last time I saw him, he was with Selena. Trust me… not a good thing. At first I was angry at Gill, for deserting me to be with Selena, but then I realized he was never actually dating me. We were just friends.

It was hard for me to think that we might not be friends anymore though. As I reflected on my night at the Festival with Luke, I came to one main conclusion. What I did was wrong. How could I sink to Selena's level? How could I use Luke that way? Was I turning into a bad person? Needless to say, I was very, very, sorry about what I did.

What I really wanted to do was to make it better. I had already went to Luke out of guilt and told him the real reason I asking him out. He seemed a little bothered at first, but kindly accepted my apology and my offer to be friends. He sealed the deal by giving me a warm hug.

Why? Why couldn't I be in love with Luke? He was so nice, compassionate, and a great friend; not just to me, but to everyone. But I wasn't in love with him. After long replays and considerations about my time with Gill, I realized that I loved him. As a friend, yes, but as something more too. And it hurt to think that because I tried to help him by telling him not to go out with Selena, I actually helped make it happen. I knew I shouldn't have yelled. My temper has always been a weakness since my parents died.

So that brings me to this now. Apologizing. For hurting him. Sounds familiar, eh? Just like when I first moved here. Funny how some things changed in 2 months and others haven't changed at all. But anyway, back to the point.

For 3 days, I have tried to find Gill. I have looked in every place imaginable. His house, the church, Town Hall, the shops, the beach, the mines, the forest, and everywhere else. In fact, I searched so thoroughly that I actually found some ingredients for the rainbows. But no Gill. So yesterday I went to see Hamilton. His response? "Oh he's just out with his girlfriend."

Even my insistence on searching everywhere and not finding him didn't shake Hamilton. "Don't worry, he's around somewhere," Hamilton had said.

So that turned out to be pointless. I figured then, that I would just have to wait for Gill to come to me. So I did. And I'll tell you, it didn't take long. It just wasn't in the way I expected.

Today, at around 4:00 in the morning, I got a phone call. Four o'clock? Who could be bothering me? If this was a prank, I was going to get the pranker good. But as soon as I heard the news, all thoughts of anger, and annoyance disappeared. It was Dr. Jin on the phone.

"Hell Angela? We have a slight problem with Gill. Please come down to the Clinic immediately."

"Why? What's wrong Dr.?" I asked worriedly.

"We'll explain in all when you get here. Please hurry." And he hung up.

I don't know if I ever got ready faster in my entire life. I didn't even bother to get dressed or brush my hair and teeth. I gurgled some mouth-wash and grabbed my coat as I ran out the door. In the 5 minutes it took me to run to the Clinic, all I could think about was Gill. "Please let him be alright! Don't let him die! Please, please! I'll do anything!" I wasn't really talking to anyone in particular.

When I arrived in the Clinic, I was ushered in by Irene, who was waiting for me outside. She brought me straight to Dr. Jin, who came out from behind a curtain. Obviously, Gill was behind it.

"Angela," Jin whispered to me, "Please help us. Gill is in terrible condition. He was shot. But he won't let us touch him without you here. He used up all his energy to scream, and kick us out of the way." I realized he was whispering to not let Gill hear us. "Go in there, Angela. Tell him it will be fine if he cooperates. I think we can save him. Honestly."

I was in shock. Shot? How? By who? I couldn't even think straight. You know when you are so shocked you can even remember how to cry? Well I felt like that. I couldn't even bear the thought of Gill dying. So with Jin's arms holding me, I walked forward and behind the curtain.

I almost screamed. Gill looked terrible. I couldn't see how he could be alive. His leg was twisted in a way that showed me it must be broken. His whole face was bruised and blood was seeping out of the bandage he had wrapped around his head. His cheeks were so full of dried blood that I couldn't even see the cut. He was also covered in blood that was seeping out from a spot in his lower abdomen. As I walked beside him, I sat down on his bed, and took his hand. He slowly opened his eyes. His bruised face made it look painful to even open them a bit. But when he saw me, they opened fully.

"Angela," he croaked, in barely a whisper. "You're here."

"Of course I'm here Gill," I replied. When he didn't say anything, I said to him. "Gill, let Dr. Jin help you. He can make you better. I'm here now, and I'll stay with you, okay?"

"Yes. I just wanted you here first. I'm sorry Angela. You tried to stop me. But I didn't listen. I –"

"Shhh," I said. "There will be time for apologies after. First you need help."

"I trust you," Gill said, his voice fading a bit.

"Dr. Jin!" I called. "Come, he says he's ready."

This time, when Jin attempted to touch Gill, he didn't resist. He just stared at me, as if I was the only one in the world. Wow. That would make me feel great if my best friend wasn't lying here, dying more every second.

I stayed with Gill, until he went down under the anesthetic. It only took about two minutes for him to fall into a deep sleep. Jin told me to wait in the waiting room with Hamilton, while he and Perry (the apprentice doctor) worked on Gill. While that happened, Irene came and told me the story.

"I don't know the details," she said, "but we got the information from Owen, who carried Gill here. He said he was coming back into town from another village, and while he was walking home, he saw people fighting in Praline Woods."

I was scared to even think about how this happened.

"He knew it was Gill by his while blond hair, and he was able to make out Selena too with her bright red hair. But the other person, he didn't know. He described him as a tall, muscular man, with brown hair pulled back in a bandana. He said he heard Selena call him "Kurt. Anyway, he was the one beating up Gill. Owen couldn't make out why he was beating Gill in the first place, but he claims to have seen Selena helping Kurt."

Tears were forming in my eyes.

"Owen says he heard Selena continually asking the same question. It was, "Now?" And Gill would respond with "No" every time. Finally, when Selena was done with him, Owen heard her say to Kurt, "He's done. Do it." Kurt pulled out his gun, but Owen soon realized what was about to happen and jumped out of hiding and tackled Kurt. It made Kurt's shot miss Gill's head and hit his lower abdomen, which undoubtedly saved Gill's life. According to Owen, Selena took off right away, and Kurt did too, once he wrestled out from under Owen. He left his gun on the ground. And that's all we know so far. Hopefully Gill will fill us in on the rest when he is better. Then we can find Selena and that other man and hopefully arrest them."

I was crying now. Irene gave me a hug and told me it was all going to be alright. She offered me a bed upstairs, seeing that I was tired, and promised to wake me up when Gill was better. I kindly accepted her offer, and went upstairs. Despite this tragedy, I was asleep before I hit the pillow. Funny, through all this commotion, I didn't dream about anything.

I awoke to Irene gently touching my face. I sat up quickly, remembering where I was and why I was here.

"Don't worry, Angela, Gill's fine. He's asking for you downstairs."

"What time is it?" I asked her groggily.

"6:00 p.m. It took a while to help Gill. The doctors have been working steady."

"Thank you Irene. I'll go down and see him." I got out of bed, and almost ran down the stairs and right into Gill's area. I peeked inside. Tubes were hooked up to him everywhere. I went and sat beside him again, talking his hand.

"Angela!" he said, his voice much better now. "I'm happy you're here."

"I'm happy _you're_ here, Gill. You don't know how worried I've been. When will you be getting out?"

"Jin said a week. Then I'll have to stay in a wheelchair for about three weeks, because of my leg and my health. That night really took a lot out of me."

"What happened? That night I mean. Irene told me how you were beat, but why? Why would Selena do this to you?"

Gill sighed. "First of all, Angela, I must apologize. For not listening to you. Somewhere deep down I knew I should have listened. I knew you were just yelling because you didn't want me to get hurt. But I wasn't myself that day. I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too Gill. I shouldn't have yelled. But you know I never wanted you hurt. I just want to be your friend again Gill. Please let me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Alright. I'll tell you. Please listen until the end." Gill paused, thinking about how to explain. "Do you remember the night of the Firefly Festival? When I was leaving with Selena? You gave me a look. And I knew I should have stopped then and there, but something made me stay with Selena. Well, it was then I knew I should have read the warnings on your face. You were right. I didn't know what I was getting into.

"We walked down to the beach and out of sight, when someone came behind me and punched me. It knocked me out. When I came to, I was lying on a cot, and I saw sunshine gleaming in from the window. I looked around, and knew I was on Toucan Island. I must have been in Selena's house. Then I saw Selena and this other guy on another cot beside me. They were completely intertwined, in a sick way, and neither was wearing clothes." He stopped when he saw my face.

"Sorry, Gill, keep going, that was just disgusting to picture."

Gil nodded and continued. "I laid there, trying not to watch them and listen to the noises they were making. I must have shifted on the cot a little, because it made a noise, and then suddenly Selena and the other broke apart and turned to me."

"Ah, Kurt, he's awake," she said to the other guy. Kurt smirked.

Selena signaled something to Kurt, and he came over to me and started taking my clothes off. My adrenaline bursted right then, because I knew what was going to come of this, and I pushed Kurt off me. Then I ran for the door, and as far away as I could. I managed to hide from the two for 3 days, because it was a big island. Luckily, it was warm at night and there was a lot of food. I finally plucked up the courage to steal their boat and try to get back to Waffle Island, but they saw me and got on it before I could get far enough away. Then they knocked me out again.

"The good thing was, they didn't take me back to the island. When I awoke this time, I heard mumbles of "Punish him" and "he'll be sorry" from both Selena and Kurt. I opened my eyes to see we were in Praline Woods. They threw me to the ground, and being weak from being knocked out, I couldn't do anything about it when they started kicking me and punching me. Though the whole beating, Selena would ask me if I was sorry. She said she promised to stop, if I admitted it. I refused every time. Then one of them, I'm not sure which, took a knife and slashed both my cheeks and my forehead. I remember I could barely feel it by then as I was on the verge of passing out again. I felt my left leg crack, but I could barely feel that either.

"Finally, I heard Selena say something like 'He's done. Do it.' I forced my eye open to see Kurt taking a gun out of his pocket. He pointed it at my head. I knew in seconds it would be over. I remember hoping it wouldn't hurt, and then thinking of you, wondering if you would miss me. But just as he was about to shoot, a red haired guy came and tackled him. I felt a stabbing pain down in my lower abdomen and knew I had been shot. They fought for a minute, but Kurt and Selena both got away. They redhead came up to me and picked me up. I realized it was Owen. But then I passed out again.

"When I awoke for the third time, I was in the hospital, with tubes hooked up to me. I don't know what came over me, but I ripped them all out. It hurt, but I didn't care. That sounded an alarm and Jin, Irene, and Perry came running. They tried to hook me back up, but I was in a kind of frenzy from my pain, and everything they said, I refused. They got my dad to come, but nothing helped. Then I thought of you. I don't know why, but the thought of you was comforting. I said "Angela." Jin reacted instantly and called you to get down here. Then you came, and I felt better. Good enough to let them anesthetize me. And now, I'm healing. That's it." He finished.

"Gill, I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. But why did you need me?"

"I don't know Angela, seriously. Like I said, I was in a frenzy. I would compare it to having a seizure, like I used to get when I was little. Everything upset me. I didn't want anyone near me. Except you. And you came." His voice was getting softer. I could see he was tired.

I didn't respond. I didn't know what to say. My silent tears ran down my cheeks. "I see. I guess I should leave you now, Gill. You'll want to heal as soon as possible."

He nodded slightly. "Promise you'll visit me everyday?" he barely whispered, his eyes almost closed.

"Yes of course. I bent down to kiss his forehead. "I love you Gill. I'm so happy you're alive."

"I love you too, Angela. You are my very best friend in the whole world." And then his eyes closed. I got up, and walked out from behind his curtain still crying. But in tears of joy. He was alive. I had my friend back. That's was more than I could ever ask for.

By that time, it was about 7:00, and I was tired, so I headed home. I thought about how that stupid Life had thrown another obstacle at Gill. But he overcame it. That made me happy.

So here begins another month. More challenges, more wins, more sadness, more joy. Everything that made my life terrible, yet beautiful and complete at the same time. For now, I just have to take it, day by day. But I know I'll win. Bring it on, Life.

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So we have a little guest star in this chapter. Kurt from Flower Bud Village. I have nothing against Kurt, but I just thought he played the part nicely. Plus, I always thought he had another side of him apart from his quiet, sensitive self.

Next chapter will be out soon. Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I realize it's long, and it may be boring to stick with it, but I know it will be good when it's finished. Thanks for sticking with me.


	12. Fall's Love

This chapter's a bit shorter, but Angela and Gill start to become a little closer. Enjoy!

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**Year 1, Fall, Day 28**

It's been a tough month. Gill has recovered, but it was a long process. Through that time, though, I think Gill and I may have come even closer.

Today was Gill's first day out of his wheelchair. I would have to help him adjust to his legs again. Jin had given Gill specific stretches to do to help him walk again.

Gill had stayed in the Clinic with Dr. Jin for a week, so Jin could be sure he was healthy enough to live at home again. I had come to visit everyday, just as I'd promised. I would wake up at 6, water my plants and feed my animals, then rush over to the Clinic. Sometimes I would bring lunch with me and stay for hours. But that time wasn't wasted. Gill and I talked, watched movies, played chess and cards, and talked some more. It was actually pretty fun, and Gill didn't seem at all upset. He was positive the whole time.

But the best part of that week was walking in the Clinic every morning. As soon as I would walk into Gill's room (he was staying in a room upstairs), his face would light up, like I was his favourite person in the world. I tried not to think about it, but the truth was, it pleased me. A lot.

After that week, Gill was permitted to go back home. Hamilton was given specific medications and instructions that Gill had to follow for at least three weeks. Again, I came over everyday to help Gill, mostly because Hamilton was busy. I fed him, gave him his medicine, and took him out for walks. We both had a lot of fun. And today was going to be just the same.

I walked into Gill's house around 8:00, and was met by Hamilton, who was just leaving to go to work. He stopped me first, and told me he needed to talk to me.

He said, "Angela, I must thank you, graciously. You have been such a big help to me and to Gill. Honestly, I don't know what we'd do without you. Not only have you helped Gill get better, but you have helped Gill become his old self again. He really loves you, you know. You are his best friend."

"Thanks Hamilton. He's my best friend too."

"Oh, and Angela," Hamilton said before leaving. "I wanted you to have this. It's the least we can do for you, after all you have done. You are one of a kind." He handed me a small silver box.

As I started to protest that I didn't need anything, and that I was happy to help, Hamilton interrupted me. "Angela, this was my wife's. After she passed on, this sat around collecting dust. Though it is a reminder of her, Gill and I have decided to give it to you. Elaine would be most proud to know that someone just like her is now bearing this. Please take it. It would mean so much to us. You remind us so much of Elaine. Of who she was before she had to leave."

My face turned all red, and I struggled to hold back tears. "Hamilton," I said, "I'm honoured. Of course I will take it if you want me too. I'm beyond happy that I could help you and Gill. And I will anytime in the future. Just let me know."

"Thank you again, Angela. I knew when I met you, I would like you. And please, if you ever need anything, please let us know. And now I must be off to work. Call me trouble arises." Then he left out the door.

Before I went upstairs to see Gill, I sat down on the couch and opened the box Hamilton gave me. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace. On the end, a heart shaped charm hung with the words "Mother, Friend, Soul Mate" etched in fancy calligraphy. It was so beautiful that I started crying.

I reached under my shirt for my locket, and took it off. I unhooked the heart charm from the chain, and hooked it on the chain that held my locket. Since my locket was in the shape of a heart, and was also gold, they went together perfectly. I put the chain back in the box, and then put the box in my pocket. Then I wiped my tears away, and started upstairs to see Gill.

Gill's face lit up when he saw me, like everyday. As soon as I walked in the room, he flashed his brilliant smile that made his eyes sparkle. "Hi Angela! How are you today?"

"Fine Gill, but the real question is, how are you?"

"Well, I think I'm ready to walk again. I can't even describe how much I want to!"

"Alright. Well, I have a list of the stretches that Jin picked out for you. But first, we have to get you out of bed. I leaned forward to grab his hand, and as I did, my necklace with Gill's mother's charm on it, hung down from my chest.

"Angela! You're wearing it!" Gill exclaimed, like a happy child.

"Of course, silly, why wouldn't I? I love it. It's beautiful."

"Good, good. We knew you would appreciate it. Perhaps you are the only one who could truly love it, since you are so much like my mother."

I blushed. "Alright, Gill, let's get to work." I helped him out of bed, and let him lean on me as he tried to stand. Then I slowly led him over to the centre of the room.

"Wow," Gill said thoughtfully, "This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. The pain isn't that bad at all."

"That's a good sign," I replied. "Ok Gill, you think you can hold yourself up?"

Gill nodded. "Bring it on!"

I smiled. "Alrighty then, let's go." I showed Gill the numerous stretches that Jin had showed me when Gill was still in the Clinic. He said to do them three times a day for about a week, to get full healing results. Gill found them pretty easy and caught on quick. I guess he was a fast learner. And a fast healer.

We spent a good half an hour stretching, and by then it was about 9:00. We decided to go outside for a brisk, fall morning walk. Gill pointed out that it would help him practice walking again. And so we went.

We walked around Waffle Town for a while, saying hi to every villager we saw. We took a stroll down the beach, and visited people in Maple Lake District. We then decided to walk to my place to get some lunch.

As we were walking Gill said, "You know…I really love the fall. It's so peaceful and pretty. The leaves cover the ground, and the animals are starting to hibernate. I like how it's not too cold either. And the air always smells so nice. Fresh in a way."

"I agree," I replied. "I always loved fall as a child too. My favourite part was raking the leaves into a huge pile, and then jumping in it!"

"Ya that _was_ fun. I wish I could do it again."

"Well, you can if you want. We'll work around your legs. But let's go eat lunch first." I led Gill into the house and fixed him up some Tomato Soup. He loved it. After we were finished, we went outside again.

"Sit here, Gill. Just for a second. Close your eyes." Gill obeyed.

I grabbed the rake that was leaning against the side of my house and began raking the leaves in my yard. Since I lived near the forest, there were tons of leaves. I had a huge pile made within minutes. Then I took a handful of leaves and walked over to Gill. And I threw them in his face.

"Ahh!" he screamed. "Oh, Angela, you are something else." He grabbed some leaves off the ground and then threw them in my face.

"Wait, Gill, not yet." I grabbed his hand and led him to the pile of leaves. We both sat down. Soon, we were in a leaf war, both throwing leaves at each other as fast as we could and laughing hysterically. It felt good to laugh with Gill. It always did. Finally, we got tired, and then ended up just lying down in the leaves. We talked for a while and watched the sky turn pink and orange.

"That's another thing I love about fall," Gill said. "Lying in the leaves and watching the sun begin to set. It's nice that it sets early in the fall. That way, it's not too cold when you lie down and watch it." Gill paused for a moment. "And there's no one I'd rather watch it with than you, Angela."

I turned to look at him. He looked back and smiled his little half-smile. "Aww, Gill, you're sweet." I leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. I think he blushed. It was hard to tell under his rosy cheeks, but I know I saw something there. He looked up at the sky again.

We laid there for another half an hour, some of it filled with silence, other parts filled with talking. Then, at about 5:00, I figured I should take Gill home. His health needed to improve just as his body needed to heal.

"Hey, we'd better go back to your place. Don't want to get sick, do you?"

"Nah, I guess not. Let's go." Gill got up first, by himself, and offered his hand to me. I smiled, blushed a little (I don't know why; he did this all the time), and took his hand. We walked to Gill's house together, our fingers interlocking. We stopped when we got to the door.

"I think I can take it from here," Gill said. "Thank you Angela. I had fun today." He then wrapped his arms around my neck. I hugged him back for a minute, and as I pulled away, he kissed my cheek. "See you tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

"You bet." Then, after Gill went inside, I started home. I have to admit, out of that entire day, the two moments I remembered best were when I kissed him, and when he kissed me back. I know it was just on the cheek, but still. There was definitely something there.

That left me in a happy mood for the rest of the evening. And it made me even more excited to see him again tomorrow.

* * *

So how was that? I'm hoping to get super romantic really soon. Any ideas; tell me. I'm happy to consider. Next chapter soon. Keep reading!


	13. Birthday Wishes

Wow. Thanks for the reviews guys! I really appreciate it! I really didn't know how my first story would turn out.

So here's the next chapter. Little bit of action between Gill and Angela. Hope you enjoy!

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**Year 1, Winter, Day 8 **

Over the course of about a week, Gill improved steadily. He can now walk and run just like his old self, and his health is very good. Throughout his healing, I stayed with him everyday, and helped him work his way up to walking and running again. I guess you could call me his personal trainer. But not anymore. Though we had fun, I was really looking forward to when Gill was completely better, so we could hang out and do things like we did before the accident. And now he was.

Hey did I mention that Selena was arrested? I was thrilled. I would never forgive her for hurting Gill like that. She was on the run in a place called Mineral Town with that guy named Kurt. Since Hamilton had alerted all the mayors of any nearby village of island, she was finally found. Unfortunately, Kurt got away. Oh well, there was only so many places he could hide. I hoped they would find him someday. But back to my day now.

On Winter 2, I surprised Gill by going over to his house with his favourite dish – Tomato Risotto. He loved it. I told him that I didn't get him a real gift yet because I'd had an idea. Since my birthday was on Winter 16 and his on Winter 2, I figured we could meet in the middle and have a party at my house, for both of us. He seemed to like that idea. We scheduled the party for Winter 8, which was today. The party was a huge success. That was definite. It was afterwards that I wasn't sure went as well as I'd hoped. Here's what happened.

Gill came over around 3:00, to help me fix up the house for the party. He walked to pick up the cake, while I cooked for the guests. Once everything was finished, we just waited. The first guests arrived at 5:00. They were Luke, Owen and Bo. When they walked in, I told them to make themselves at home, and offered them a drink.

"Ya, thanks, Angie!" Luke said enthusiastically.

"Sure, Ang, whatever you got's fine with me!" Owen said.

"Got any Beer?" Bo asked.

"Ya, sure guys, just wait here. I'll get them." I said, to the three. Just then, the doorbell rang. Gill answered it. This time it was Elli, Maya, Renee, Colleen, Barbara, Simon, and Yolonda.

"Well, thanks for coming!" Gill said politely as he held the door open for all of them.

Yolanda reached out for Gill's face and gave him a big kiss on his cheek, leaving a lipstick stain. "My Gilly-kins! 26 already? My, my you've grown so fast!"

Then she came over to me. "Oh, Angel! (I don't know why she always called me that…) What a beautiful girlie! Give Yolanda a big hug!" Then she squeezed me so hard that I couldn't breathe. I looked at Gill. He winked and gave me a "I know, just go with it" look. I guess Yolanda was always like this.

By the time I had gotten all the drinks for the first two groups of guests, more people had come. I looked around to see Luna, Candace, Shelly, Hamilton, Ramsey, Calvin, Ruth, Craig, Cain, Hanna, Toby, Mira, Chloe, and Dale. That made almost everyone.

The last group came about 5 minutes later. I held the door open as Hayden, Irene, Jin, Anissa, Phoebe, Chase, Kathy, Julius, and Gray walked in. Wow. I couldn't believe everyone had come. Good thing I made lots of food.

By this time it was about 6:00. I had dinner served buffet style by 6:30. The guests were all polite and insisted that Gill and I get our meals first. As soon as we sat down, they all dug in.

I was happy to see so many faces smiling and talking. It made me feel good that I was as much a villager as someone who had lived here all their life. I felt like I fit in. For the first time in 14 years, I felt like I had a family again. The family I always wanted.

I sat down with Mira, Colleen, and Barbara.

"Oh, Angela! I'm so happy you decided to stay on the island," Colleen said. "You are a great friend to Maya. How are you liking life here?"

"I love it, Colleen, thanks. I feel like I could never leave."

"I know what you mean," Mira said, smiling. "It helps if there's a certain someone that also makes you want to stay." I gave her a confused look. She looked back at me with a "you know what I'm talking about" look.

"Come on, Angela!" Barbara said, "Don't be shy! We see it! You like Gill, don't you? I must say, he's a charming young man."

"Oh, no, really Barbara, Gill and I are just friends."

"Yes, you may be, but that doesn't mean you don't want to be more than friends!" Colleen giggled.

"C'mon, tell us! You like Gill, right?" Mira asked. Wow. It was like having three mothers at once. And I hadn't had a mother in 14 years. Did I mention how much I loved these villagers?

I looked at the ground. "Well….."

"Go on," Barbara urged.

"Yes, I do like him. He is caring and funny, and he makes me happy," I said, turning red like a tomato.

"Aww, it's nothing to be ashamed of dear. Trust me, he likes you too," Mira said winking.

"What? How do you know?" I asked, suddenly with a hint of excitement in my voice.

"Oh, we can see it," Colleen said. "It's a mother thing."

"I can see you two together. You make a perfect couple!" Barbara smiled at me.

"Umm, thanks…" I said, not sure of what to say next. I paused for a few seconds. "I guess we should start the cake now."

"Oh, yes!", "Sure", "I love cake!" they all said. So I got up, went over to Gill and told him it was time for cake. We both went into the kitchen, away from the noise and got the cake ready. Gill carried the cake, and I carried the plates and cutlery. Before we walked out to the living room again, Gill winked at me. I swear to the goddess, after what Colleen, Barbara, and Mira said to me, my heart skipped a beat. But I ignored it and smiled back at him.

We both walked out, and everyone cheered when we lit the candles. Gill sat on the chair closest to the cake. He grabbed my hand, pulled me forward, and sat me right on his lap. I turned red and looked at Mira, Colleen, and Barbara. They all smiled a knowing smile at me.

Owen led the guests in singing happy birthday. Luke even brought noise makers. He quickly passed them out during the round of Happy Birthday. As soon as the song was finished everyone yelled "Happy Birthday" and blew their noisemakers. It was so loud I thought an avalanche would start on Mt. Gelato!

Gill squeezed my hand, his face right beside mine, and whispered, "Make a wish." It was so quiet that I knew no one else heard it. Of course, it probably was not that hard to guess what my wish was. Need a hint? It was about me and Gill. Enough said.

After about 5 seconds, Gill and I both blew out our candles and everyone cheered. We served the cake out to everyone, and then sat down and talked some more. Then Chloe suddenly jumped up and shouted "Present Time!" Everyone at once went outside, and came back in a few moments later. I was confused to where they had hidden the presents at first. I knew that leaving then in the snow would be all soggy. But then I smelled animal smell. Of course! The barn was a perfect hiding spot.

We got many gifts, even though we'd insisted that no one bring presents when we sent out invitations. Everyone was so nice here. I could pick out anyone and name the reasons why I liked them.

I got so many things. New clothes, books, perfume, free seeds and animal tools, and so much food. I'd like to say that I made a huge speech about how much I was grateful to everyone, how I cared about them all, and how I loved them for making me feel welcome in my first year here. But I didn't. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I started crying, right then and there, in front of everyone.

There was silence for a moment, and then Irene came over and hugged me. "Don't be sad my dear," She said.

"I'm sorry everyone," I said, looking at the floor. "It's just that, I haven't celebrated my birthday in 14 years. And I haven't been with people I love either. You are all so nice. I consider you all my family. Thank you for being so welcoming. You've made my life…so much better."

There was silence for a moment, and then Anissa stood up, walked over to Irene and me, and gave wrapped us both in a hug. Phoebe came over next, followed by Renee, Colleen, Barbara, Mira, and Gill. Soon everyone was included in our group hug. I savored it. This day was one of the best days of my life.

After we broke apart, someone went to my stereo, put in a party CD, and cranked up the volume. And we partied until there was nothing left in us.

Later on, I was sad that everyone had to go, but it _was_ 1:00 in the morning. Everyone complimented me on the great party as they left. A few hung around to help me clean up, but by 2:00 A.M., Gill was the only one left at my house.

"Hey, Gill, would you close your eyes for a minute?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Uh, ok," he said closing his eyes.

I ran into my room, grabbed my present I had gotten for Gill, and ran back out. Then I said, "Open your eyes," and gave him the present.

"Angela! You didn't need to do this!"

"That's okay Gill, I wanted to. Now open it."

Gill tore the wrapping paper off slowly, as if he wanted to make the surprise last longer. I had gotten him a new watch, and a pair of wool mittens that I had knitted myself. Gill loved it.

"It's wonderful Angela, Thank you!"

"No problem Gill, I'm glad you like it."

"Ok," Gill said, "Now it's your turn. Close your eyes."

"What? Jeez Gill, you say I can't get you a present, but you can get me one?"

"Ya, well, you got me a present anyway, so it doesn't matter," Gill replied. "Now close your eyes."

I did, and then I felt Gill take my hand and slide something up around my wrist. I opened my eyes when he had let go, and saw a very intricate braided bracelet, fitting perfectly around my wrist. There was a small part of what I guessed was Cedar wood, that had my name carved onto it. On either end, a blue and green braid with cedar beads along it connected at the back to form a bracelet.

"Gill…"

"I made it. Sorry your name's a little crooked, I'm not very good at carving."

"I don't care, Gill, but… this braid…it's amazing. It must have taken you hours!"

"Only about two," he said. "My mother taught me how to do that. I forgot about it, but recently I've been making an effort to relearn it."

All I could do was look at it. It was so pretty. The braid was so intricate that I couldn't even make out individual threads. I loved it.

I wrapped my arms around Gill's neck and hugged him. He hugged me back. We stayed locked like that for what seemed like hours. I started to pull away, but Gill stopped me when we were nose to nose. He looked into my eyes. I leaned closer slightly, and so did Gill. It surprised me a little. Time stood still. I never wanted to look anywhere else but at his beautiful face. All I wanted to do was kiss him. Our lips were only half an inch apart when Gill suddenly pulled away.

He looked at the floor and mumbled "I have to go."

"No, Gill, don't. It's late. I have a spare bedroom. You can stay here tonight." I pleaded.

"I should…I should really go. Thanks for the great party," he said. And with that, he quickly grabbed his jacket and his bag of gifts and literally ran out the door.

I was confused, sad, angry, and a little relieved at the same time. I had come so close. For a second I thought Gill wanted to kiss me too. But then he had pulled away. Maybe it wasn't me. Maybe I would always be just a friend to him. I don't know. But what I do know now, is that I am sure that I'm in love with him. And now I feel like my once chance to tell him that has passed and I have failed.

I quickly finished cleaning up, and then got ready for bed. It's now 3:00 in the morning. And despite my wonderful party, I feel kind of empty. It's one of those moments where you really have no idea what's gonna happen next. The only thing to do is to play the game of Life, and find out.

So that's what I'm gonna do.

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Ok, so I know it's a cliff hanger, but that next chapter will be up soon. Within the next two chapters Gill and Angela will be together. I can promise you that. Thanks for reading! :D


	14. Kiss in the Rain

Climax of the story, right here. Hope I wrote it well enough. Please enjoy.

* * *

**Year 2, Spring, Day 21**

Whatever happens to me from this point on, I know one thing for sure. I will _always_ remember this day. It goes right to the top of my list of top ten days of my life.

The birthday party this past winter had made some strange, awkward feelings rise between me and Gill. At first I thought maybe it was even too weird to still be friends. But that wasn't the case. Gill still talked to me, came over, and we had fun. Just like always. Except for one thing. We never talked anymore. Now when I say that, I don't mean it literally. Of course we talked, but we never had anymore of those deep, relaxing talks while walking on the beach or laying in the grass. Gill pretty much made sure that whenever we were together, there was no time for deep, meaningful talks. So did I get to talk to him about that night? It's not that hard to guess.

I didn't. My relationship with Gill hadn't changed at all really, but it was like going back a few steps and starting from there. We were no longer at the point where we could have those serious talks. It seemed like to me that we would have to work up to that again. That was the only thing to do. And to be honest, after today, I'm not sorry at all that we had to retrace our steps back a little. If we didn't, who knows what would've happened? Certainly not what happened today, that's for sure.

This Saturday started out like any other. Gill came over around 1:00, and we thought of something to do for the day. What was surprising though, was Gill's idea.

"So, Angela, I was thinking maybe we could go fishing today?"

I registered that for a moment. Fishing? The most quiet activity of them all? Talking would surely happen, unless he wanted to sleep or something. I was confused.

"Uhh," I stuttered, "Umm, uh, sure! I guess, if that's what you want to do. Where do you want to fish? Caramel River?"

"Well, no. I was thinking we could take a canoe and go out on the ocean. It's a beautiful day."

I just stared at him. Did he really want to go fishing in the quietest place on the island? Hadn't he been avoiding any type of quiet space when we were together for the past month and a half? I was so caught up in shock that I forgot to answer.

"Angela?"

"Oh!" I said, snapping back to reality. "Uhh, ya! Fishing on the ocean. Sounds good! I'll get my rod."

I ran inside to get my rod and pail of worms, and was back outside beside Gill within seconds.

"Wow, that was quick. Umm, I have to go to my house to get my rod."

"That's fine. Let's go," I said taking his hand. He blushed. Oh yeah. That was another thing. We'd barely had _any_ physical contact in the past month and a half either.

We walked, hand in hand, (it felt nice to hold his hand again) down to Waffle Town to Gill's house. Once he got his rod, we walked down to the beach, and picked a cane from the rack. We climbed in and started paddling in silence.

"So, uh, Gill? What made you want to go fishing today?" I asked

"Oh… you know… just something different…" he replied. I sensed something fishy about that line.

"Ya. Different is good," I agreed.

We continued to paddle in silence until we were far enough out to catch the good fish. We dropped our lines in the water and waited. Some small talk arose here and there, but nothing too serious. Yet.

"So, how're your animals?" Gill asked to fill the silence.

"Good, good. They're pretty happy it's the spring again. You know, grass outside, grazing, warm weather, and all that jazz."

"Yeah." Gill paused for a moment. "Are _you_ happy, Angela?"

I was taken by surprise a bit. "Um, yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, just wondering. You know, I can tell when you're not happy."

Silence again. We had caught a few fish before the next conversation started.

"Hey Gill?"

"Yep?"

I finally lost my patience and just spit it all out. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Gill looked confused.

"I mean, c'mon. We haven't sat in silence like this for like a month! You always made sure to fill the silence with fun activities and games. And you haven't let me hold your hand since winter last year. What's up?"

Gill didn't respond for a few moments. It took all my strength not to yell "Answer me already!"

Finally, still looking at the ground, he said, "Yes. There is…something I want to… to talk to you about." Then he half-smiled. "Can't keep anything from you, can I?" he said looking up into my eyes. I felt a shiver go down my spine. A good shiver.

"Alright then… shoot," I said, anxious.

Gill nodded, and then lay down on his back on the bottom of the boat. He looked up at me, until I did the same beside him, on the right side of the boat. There was just enough room for us to lie beside each other. Any closer and we would've been squished.

We both looked up into the sky. Then Gill's hand found mine, and he interlocked his fingers into the space between mine.

I turned my head to look at him, a bit confused. He continued to look at the sky.

"Angela, I first want to apologize," Gill started.

"For what?" Now I was confused.

"For that night last winter. After the party, when I ran out. It was rude. I shouldn't have done it."

"That's ok, Gill. I forgave you for that almost instantly. No worries."

"Yes, but," Gill paused. "That night was what I wanted to talk to you about." And he turned his head to face mine. We lay in silence for a few moments, looking at each other, his fingers still interlocking with mine.

Then Gill looked up at the sky again. "I… I've been thinking about that night continuously. And about you. And I realized…I…realized…I mean I think…umm…I…I…," Gill stuttered.

"I think I'm in love with you, Gill," I said softly to him, interrupting his stuttering.

He turned his head toward me once again; his eyes wider and full of surprise.

"You…you what?" Gill asked, turning tomato red.

"I love you, Gill," I said even softer. "More than a friend."

"I…I love you too… Angela." He gave me a small smile.

We continued to stare at each other for what seemed like hours. Still lying on my back, I inched my head closer to his a tiny bit, seeing how he would react. He looked back into my eyes, and then moved his head a little closer too. He reached over to brush a piece of hair out of my face. My heart skipped a few beats.

"I've never…been in love before," Gill said quietly, moving his face closer to mine once again. Our noses were almost touching now.

"Me neither," I said. I shifted closer to touch my nose to his.

"But how… how do we know… this is right for us?" Gill asked, barely whispering now. His eyes closed a little, but still looked into mine. "How do we know Life's not trying to hurt us?" Our lips were millimeters away; our noses overlapping.

"Let's play the Game and find out," I whispered back. And I reached out to bring my lips to his, closing my eyes, as he closed his. My lips met with his ever so softly. His smooth lips tasted sweet, as he brushed them against mine. I pulled away a little and opened my eyes. Feeling no more contact, Gill opened his eyes too. We stared at each other of a few seconds. Then Gill reached forward and kissed _me_ this time.

I was in total bliss. This was what I'd wanted since that day we went swimming at the beach. It seemed like ages ago. I responded to the kiss, pushing my lips against his slightly harder this time, asking for more.

Our lips broke apart for air, and he smiled into the next kiss. With his left hand still intertwined with my right, he reached out with his right and placed it around my waist, pulling me closer. I instantly brought my left hand around his neck.

Our kisses became deeper and hungrier. I no longer noticed the world around me. The sun could've burnt out and I would have never known. We continued to kiss, and then Gill pulled away to brush his lips on my cheek, and then back to my lips.

We continued for what seemed like eternity. I would say that nothing could've made that moment better. But you know what? It did get better. In the midst our kisses, we had failed to notice the grey clouds gathering together above us.

And then it started to rain.

I know, so Hollywood, right? Falling in love, sealing it with a kiss in the rain. But it really did happen. I can't say why. Maybe Life got generous and decided to give us a little gift? I dunno. But it made the moment a million times better.

Gill and I pulled apart briefly to look upwards and feel the rain on our faces, before bringing our lips to meet again. We continued to kiss for another few minutes, even though I could have sworn it was a few hours.

Finally, Gill let go of my waist, and pulled away. "Angela, we should head back. I can see a storm coming."

"Ya…," I agreed, a little sad that this beautiful moment had ended. We sat up, but before Gill could grab a paddle, I pulled on his neck with my fingers, and kissed him once more. Gill smiled in the kiss, and pulled away again.

"Angela, you're going to get sick in those wet clothes. Let's get you home."

"Will you stay the night?" I asked him hopefully.

Gill pretended to consider it, but I already knew the answer. "In the spare bedroom?" he asked.

"Or… in mine…," I looked at him with a sly smile."

Gill realized what I had inferred, and then grinned back. "Sounds fun."

We paddled back towards shore, and raced back to my house, not caring that most of our fish had fallen out of the bucket.

I won't get into details, but I can assure you that this night was the best night in my entire life. Why? I think you can figure that out.

Hey Life? Looks like I'm winning.

* * *

So there you go. This was the scene I saw in my head that inspired me to write this story. Hope it was good enough. Please Review!

Still more to come though, so keep reading!


	15. Happiness

The boyfriend and girlfriend stage. How exciting!

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**Year 2, Spring, Day 22**

I woke up next to Gill this morning. He was still sleeping, so I softly kissed him on the cheek and got out of bed. I had to tend to my animals and crops.

By the time I came back inside, Gill was up. He was standing at my stove and appeared to be cooking. He didn't hear me come in over the noise, so I tiptoed over to him. Then I waited. Eventually, he turned around, probably wanting to get some spices from the counter that I was standing in front of. As soon as he saw me, he jumped.

"Angela! Jeez, you scared me! How long were you behind me?"

"Oh, just about two minutes. I was waiting for you to turn around," I replied smiling.

Gill smiled back. "You _are_ a strange one. But that's why I love you." He put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I stretched up on my toes to gently touch my lips to his, and then went back down on my feet.

"So, whatcha making?" I asked him.

"I thought I'd make some omelets. Do you like them?"

"Gill, I live on a farm. With chickens. How could I _not_ like omelets?"

Gill chuckled. "Yes, you have a point. I just can't beat you can I?"

"Nope! I'm unbeatable!"

"What kind of spices do you like on your omelet?" Gill asked me, turning to face me.

"Uh, I'll take salt and pepper. And maybe some garlic powder." I replied.

"Garlic powder? On an omelet?"

"It's delicious."

"Well, alright. It's your egg. Now go sit down. I'm making all the breakfast today."

I laughed at his generosity. "Gill, it's my house! And you're a guest! How can I let _you_ make _me_ breakfast!"

"Well, I could force you!" Gill smiled playfully.

"Oh yeah? How? Like I said before, I'm unbeatable!"

"Don't get too cocky, kid. I know you have a weakness."

"But you'll never find it!"

"Oh yes I will!" Gill said picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. Holding on to my legs, he brought me over to the couch and put me down. I looked up at him. He smiled a fake, sweet smile, and then his hands came down on me, tickling me everywhere. And I am _very_ ticklish.

"Ahhhhh, noooooo, hahahaha Gill! Stop! Stop! Hahahahahaha!" I screamed, laughing.

"Say you'll let me make breakfast!" Gill said playing dirty.

"I'll let you make breakfast!"

"All by myself?"

"All by yourself! Hahahaha, Stop, Gill, Stop! Haha!"

Gill pulled his hands away. "Good. Now sit down at the table and relax."

"Fine." I put on a fake pouty face.

Gill had breakfast reading in five minutes. He served me my omelet with garlic powder and then sat down beside me with his. We ate in silence, shoving our food in our mouths because we were so hungry.

After breakfast, we both cleaned up and decided to take a walk outside.

"So… does this mean we're dating now?" I asked as we were walking in Caramel District..

"I certainly hope so!" Gill replied.

"Alrighty then, c'mon boyfriend." I grabbed Gill's hand and pulled him as I started running.

"Where are we going?" Gill asked, running beside me.

"Nowhere in particular. I just want to run. I feel so happy today."

We ran up and down the hills in Caramel River District, until we finally collapsed, panting. I picked a spot on the damp grass and rolled onto my back. Gill did the same.

We caught out breath, and then laid in silence for a while. I closed my eyes to relax and took in a deep breath of the fresh spring air. Then I felt Gill touch me, pulling a lock of hair off my face. Hair in my face used to bother me. Now, I rarely ever noticed.

"You know," Gill said. "You are beautiful."

I turned to look at him. "What?"

"I said, you are beautiful." Gill paused. "But even if you weren't, I would still love you," he said kissing my cheek.

"Well, in that case, you're not too bad yourself, Fish-boy!" I joked. "I'm kidding. You _are_ really handsome. I've always thought that."

"And we're just right for each other," Gill said, looking back up at the sky.

"Two peas in a pod," I agreed.

"Partners in crime," Gill said smiling. I smiled back and then rolled over onto him, lying on his stomach. I traced the outline of his face with my finger, and then moved it over his nose and touched his lips. Then I lowered my head and pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back and we stayed like that for a while. Then I broke the kiss and rolled off of him.

"So then, boyfriend. What should we do next?" I asked Gill, punching his shoulder playfully.

"Well, I was thinking we could go out for supper. That is, if you want to go out with me. What do you say?"

"Tonight? It's Sunday! The Sundae in is always booked solid with reservations on Sundays."

"Well," Gill said slyly, "Being the mayor's son does have its advantages." He turned and winked at me.

I smiled back. "Well, in that case, let's go!"

Gill stood up first and offered me his hand. I looked up, batted my eyes at him teasingly, and took his hand. When I stood up, he tripped me. "That'll never get old," he said.

"You asshole," I said laughing and getting to my feet. "Cmon."

Gill got us into the Sundae Inn for supper. I don't know how, but I didn't ask. We had a lovely dinner, talking as we ate. When we were finished, Gill, being a perfect gentleman, payed the bill.

We walked home together hand in hand, and stopped outside my house. Gill spoke first.

"That was fun, Angela, thank you."

"Yeah, I had fun too. We should go out again soon," I replied.

"Definitely," Gill said, pulling me in for a kiss. We stayed locked together for a few seconds, and then I pulled away.

"Wanna stay the night again?" I asked hopefully.

"Umm, I should probably get home, Angela. My father will be wondering what happened to me."

I pretended to pout.

"Oh, alright, but just one more night. I can't live here now, you know," Gill said, half-smiling.

"Yay!" I jumped in the air, exaggerating my happiness.

Gill laughed at my weirdness, and then picked me up bridal style. He carried me into the house and shut the door behind us.

And that was my first day as Gill's girlfriend. Something I have been dreaming about for a long time. And now, I can't wait for tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next, or the next, or the next. My life is almost complete.

* * *

Do I see a blue feather in future chapters? Hmmmmm.

Thank for all the reviews guys!


	16. Sweet Notes

And the story continues. I love Gill! :)

* * *

**Year 2, Fall, Day 7**

I love my life. I could never ask for anything more. But today I did get something more. Something that completely changed my life. For the better, of course.

Gill and I have been dating for almost two months. And in that time, I've gotten to know him even better than before. I realize now that he is the only one for me. A true soul mate.

Gill had stayed over last night (Hehe). Upon going to bed, I expected a fairly normal day today. But it wasn't even close to normal. Does it make my list of top ten days? Why yes it does!

When I woke up at 6:00 to tend to my animals, I found the left side of the bed empty. No Gill? Hmmm. I knew Gill liked to sleep in on weekends. So what was so important about today that made him wake up before dawn? I decided to go check if he was in the kitchen.

He wasn't. I checked the spare bedroom, knocked on the bathroom door, and checked in the closets. Still no Gill. That was weird. Maybe he got called into work or something? Was something wrong with Hamilton? I hoped not. Hamilton was like my own father. I couldn't bear to have anything bad happen to him. Heck, I couldn't bear to have anything bad happen to any villager on this island. I loved them all.

I decided to get dressed, tend to my work outside and then try to find Gill. I walked into my bedroom, and as I was getting dressed, something on my mirror caught my eye. A note. Of course Gill would leave a note. I should have known he wouldn't just leave somewhere without telling me. I walked over to the note.

_You are beautiful. I love everything about you. _

_So do your animals. _

What the hell? I was pretty confused. Where was Gill? This was obviously from him because I recognized his hand writing. Was it a code of some sort? I decided to go see my animals. Maybe he was in the barn?

As soon as I walked in my barn, my animals all called to me. I heard moos, baaas, neighs and quacks. They were all happy to see me. I loved my animals. I went around petting, brushing, and talking to each one. They were energetic, as usual. But no Gill.

As soon as I went to the fodder bin, I saw something attached to the wall above it. Another note.

_Your animals are well fed._

_But are you hungry, love?_

I smiled a little. I think I was seeing what was going on. I remembered what the last note had said. "I love everything about you. So do your animals." Animals. He wanted me to go into the barn, obviously to find this other note. And it looked like there were more.

'Are you hungry love?' Sounds like the kitchen. So I went back inside. As soon as the kitchen table was in sight, I saw a huge breakfast all laid out. It had eggs, bacon, toast, and sausage. Wow. That wasn't there earlier. That means Gill must have been here when I was in my barn.

I knew he must have left his for me, and I felt bad about eating it all myself, but I was hungry. Farm work does that to you. So I ate up, and brought my plates to the sink, to wash them. But as I was about to put my plate in the water, I saw a note attached to the bottom.

_Your dishes don't need water right now._

_But your plants do._

I sighed, and giggled. Gill, you might want to make your notes a little more subtle. But I decided to go along with his game. At least for a while. I walked out to my garden. None of the crops were ready for harvest, so I got out my watering can. As I went to the fountain to fill it up, I saw yet another note.

_Fall wishes, fall fishes_

_What will you do next?_

That was a harder one. I knew it had something to do with fishing or a fishing spot, but which one? There were so many on this island. I figured I'd try Caramel Falls first because it was closest. Besides, Gill knew that was my favourite fishing spot.

I quickly watered my plants and let my animals out to graze in the pasture. Then I grabbed my fishing rod from my house and ran to Caramel River. This was kind of fun. I was excited to see what the next note said.

I got to Caramel River and found nothing. I searched every rock, space, and tree. I looked in the water for some clues. But still nothing. There was nothing else to do, but fish. So I did. I cast out, waited, and caught fish after fish. Nothing.

Eventually, after two hours of fishing, I was tired. I slowly walked up to the hot spring to replenish my stamina. I was getting a little frustrated. When I said "more subtle" I didn't mean, "impossible to figure out."

But I guess Gill knew what he was doing. Because right on the rocks that surrounded the hot spring was another note. I read it as I got into the hot, soothing water.

_Tired?_

_Well, you know _my_ favourite place to sleep._

I did. Over the past two years, Gill and I had been everywhere on this island together. And I happened to know that his favourite place to sleep or relax was under Ben's tree, in Maple Lake District. So can you guess where I went next? Well, duh!

After I no longer felt tired, I began the walk to Maple Lake District. This clue was easier. Because as soon as I was close enough to see the tree, a little white spot on the trunk told me there was another note. I pulled the white piece of paper off the tree and read it, once again.

_Don't you just love the colourful leaves?_

_Can you find the unique one?_

A unique leaf, huh? How was I supposed to find that? I looked around, made sure no one saw me, and climbed up into the tree. Technically, we weren't supposed to, because it was a special tree, but I had met Ben the Harvest Sprite. He would understand.

I searched for at least half an hour, and still found nothing. But that was because I hadn't paid any attention to the leaves _falling_ off the tree. As I started down the tree, with a feeling of defeat, I glanced at the ground. And guess what I saw?

That's right, a unique leaf. It was blue! I'd never seen a blue leaf before. I jumped down from the tree and walked over to it, wanting to get a closer look. But it moved. At first I thought it was the wind, but then I realized the leaf had stayed on the ground the entire time.

I got closer. It moved again. I kinda felt like a dog that was being lured somewhere by a bone on a string. And later, I found out I wasn't far off.

I started laughing, knowing that Gill was behind this. It made me happy to think that he had spent so much time on this silly little activity just to make me smile. But that was my Gill.

I followed the leaf all throughout Maple Lake District. It was really quiet. Where was everyone? By now it was at least 12:00. Normally the whole island was bustling at this time of day. Oh well. I shrugged it off.

I followed the leaf all the way to the bottom of the church hill. It had finally stopped moving. I walked closer ever so slowly, afraid it would take off again. But it didn't. I was standing right over it, and as I bent down to examine it, I realized it wasn't a leaf at all.

My heart stopped beating for a second. Could this be? Why? Where was Gill?

It was a blue feather. Or at least part of a blue feather. It was so small, so it was easy to mistake it for a leaf. As I bent down to pick it up, I blushed. I don't know why; it's not like anyone was watching me. It appeared as if everyone had just left the island. Freaky.

I saw that the feather was attached to a thin piece of white string. And it led up the hill. So of course, being extremely curious, anxious and excited all at the same time, I followed the sting up the hill. I followed it up to the little bench in front of the church, where it was tied to. But still no Gill.

I bent down to untie it, and just then, I felt arms around my neck and a kiss on my cheek. I turned my head to see Gill staring at me, smiling.

I had no idea what to say. A blue feather? Was he proposing?

Gill didn't speak. Instead, he led me in front of the church and motioned for me to stay there. Then he went inside.

He came back out about three minutes later, with his hands behind his back. I finally spoke.

"Gill, what is this? What are you doing?"

Gill just smiled. He got down on one knee. Then, from behind his back, he pulled out a blue feather. A regular sized one this time. And he spoke in his sweet, smooth voice.

"Angela. I love you. More than the world. And I know you love me too. Will you be my wife?"

I just stared. Gill's ocean blue eyes stared straight into mine. They had a serious look, but I could see them sparkling like they did when he smiled.

I smiled. "Yes, Gill. I will." He stood up. From his pocket, he took out a small silver box. He opened it, and took out the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. It was small and simple, but so pretty. And he slid it onto my finger.

I smiled at him for a while. And then, not being able to stand it anymore, I jumped right into his arms, and wrapped my legs around his waist. I wrapped by arms around his neck and kissed him like I never had before. And I loved every minute of it.

I could have stayed like that forever. But loud cheers interrupted me. Breaking away from Gill, I looked around me. People were running out of the church, and gathering around Gill and me, yelling and screaming with joy. Gill put me down, and hugged me. Everyone joined in. All the villagers were here to congratulate us. My whole Family. The ones I loved most.

Turns out, Gill had been planning this for a month. Afterwards, there was a huge party in the church with drinks and food and music. It was beautiful.

As the day was coming to an end, everyone started to leave, and again, congratulated me and Gill as they left. Gill promised to mail everyone a wedding invitation.

Soon everyone was gone, except Hamilton. He gave Gill and I individual hugs and told us how happy he was. He told us that he had scheduled the wedding for Winter 8, a month from now. Then he left, giving us some privacy.

"Gill, I don't know what to say."

"Don't you want to get married?"

"Of course. What I meant to say was, I don't know what to say because I'm so happy. Thank you Gill. This is everything I wanted."

"I know Angela. It's everything I want to. Especially you."

"I love you, Gill."

"I love you too." And he kissed me. Picking me up bridal style, he carried me out of the church. He put me down on the bench outside. Though that whole time though, we never stopped kissing.

Finally, I pulled away. "I liked your little notes, Gill. They were sweet."

Gill laughed. "Well, I'm glad you liked them. I wanted to put a little fun into the proposal."

"You did. I didn't even clue in until I saw the small feather up close!"

"That was the plan. I wanted you to be surprised." Gill said, running his fingers through my hair.

I snuggled up against his chest smiling.

We sat there for about two hours, talking and enjoying the sunset. When it finally got too cold, Gill walked me home.

"So, you wanna st –"

Gill put a finger to my lips. "Yes." He already knew I would ask him to stay the night.

"Well," I said, "since we are now engaged, I guess my house is yours."

"And mine is yours also." Gill walked me into the house, and we got ready for bed.

What a day huh? Started out normal, and then turned out amazing. I love those kinds of days.

So all that was left now to do was plan the wedding. Though I'm sure with Gill in charge, it's already planned. I guess I just have to wait and see. Bring it on.

* * *

Well? What do you think? I guess the story is coming to an and. I'd say there's maybe about 3 or 4 more chapters to come.

You know what I realized? Gill reminds me of Edward from twilight. I don't really know why. Maybe just because he's so sweet.


	17. A New Beginning

Yay! I love wedding chapters!

* * *

**Year 2, Winter, Day 8**

You know how you sometimes have those days where you can remember every word and every action perfectly? Well I had that kind of day today. It was my wedding day.

Now let me get something straight. I'm not one who likes big parties, frilly wedding dresses, and a lot of presents. I'm a practical girl. Always have been. But today, the presents, dress, party and food didn't bother me one bit. Why? Because I was with the people I loved.

At first, I thought it was a dream. Because it was so perfect. And honestly, I never expected someone to love me. Because no one, apart from my parents has ever loved me. Therefore, I hadn't been loved in 14 years. But then I came here, where everyone loved me like family. And to top it off, I had fallen in love. Not a bad ending eh?

But wait! This isn't an ending. Not even close. No, I think of it more as a new beginning. A new start on my life. It was like being born all over again.

Want to hear my story? Well I'm gonna tell you anyways.

The wedding was scheduled for 2:00, but of according to everyone, that was barely enough time to get ready.

I was ushered out of bed at 6:00 by al the girls in the village. I swear, they were all there. Candace, Luna, Maya, Anissa, Phoebe, Renee, and Kathy. No Selena, obviously.

Anissa, brought me out of bed and led me to the kitchen, where a nice breakfast was sitting on the table. Just for me.

"You didn't have to do this for me!" I protested.

Anissa smiled. "We wanted to. It's the first wedding there's been here in about 20 years. Plus, you are our sister. We want you to have the best day ever.

Sister, huh? Did I mention how much I loved these people?

So, not wanting to be rude, I ate up. I tried to convince everyone else to eat something, but they refused.

"You need food for your big day!" Maya replied.

"We already ate anyway," Renee said.

"Today is _your_ day!" Phoebe said, smiling.

Boy, they were nice. I couldn't refuse them.

After I had eaten, they bought me into the bathroom and got everything ready for my shower. I was getting dizzy. I'd never seen so many people move together at once without falling down or messing up something. And my bathroom was small. Picture eight girls in there!

They gave me some privacy to shower and I savoured it, because I knew when I came out they would be all over me again. And I was right.

A huge vanity had been brought in, along with a hair dryer, some products, hair cutting tools, and more. It looked like a freakin hairdresser's room.

I came out of the bathroom in my towel, and was escorted to the chair in front of the vanity. They sat me down, and started working on my hair. I felt them trim of a little, but I didn't mind, because my hair needed a cut. They promised to only give me a trim because they thought my hair was beautiful and they couldn't bear to cut it short.

After it was cut nicely by Kathy, Phoebe and Renee came over and started doing my hair. They did it so fast; I swear that if I'd blinked, I would've missed it.

When it was finished, I had to admit that it looked good. In fact, my hair had never looked this good in my entire life! It was braided intricately at the top of my head and the back, and some hair was left down straight over my ears.

Of course, I didn't have much time to admire it because soon Anissa and Luna were all over me, fixing up my face. It was a new experience. Can you believe it? 23 years old and never wore makeup before.

Knowing that I wouldn't like a lot on, Luna and Anissa only put a little. But, of course, they made that little bit look fabulous. They put on a little mascara to accent my eyes, which they thought were beautiful. Huh. I never would've thought green eyes could be even a bit pretty. At least on me.

A little lipgloss, eyesshadow, blush, and eye liner completed the makeup stage. By now it was 11:00. I had to be at the church for 1:00. I could see what they girls meant about "barely enough time to get ready." Even though they worked at lightning speed, we still had so much to do.

After my makeup was done, they gave me about ten seconds to look at myself in the mirror. And in those ten seconds, I realized that I would have never thought I could look this good. I admired me. I know, sounds arrogant, right? But I couldn't help it! They had done such a good job. They had turned a smelly farm girl into a supermodel.

But I couldn't think about that for long. Soon, Candace was leading me out or my chair and into my bedroom where the most beautiful dress I had ever seen was lying on my bed. Candace refused to let anyone in while I got dressed. She wanted everyone to be surprised.

"Wow, Candace! Did you make this?" I asked, astounded.

"Uhh, y-yeah. I did. I hope you like it. I knew y-you don't like frilly things, so I kept it simple."

"Thanks Candace, you're a great friend. And I think the dress is beautiful. I can't wait to put it on!"

Candace beamed and then helped me into my dress. She put on my veil to finish it off. Then she opened me door.

I was bombarded with screams and cheers from the other girls. I couldn't even make out who said what!

"Oh, you look marvelous!"

"Just like a princess!"

"Gill is a lucky man, Angela!"

"Sooooo beaaaauuuutifuuuullll!"

"I can't wait to see his face when he sees you!"

I couldn't help but smile. All these girls, my _sisters_, cared about me so much. They continued to compliment me until Phoebe yelled, "Oh no! It's 12:30! We gotta get to the church for 1:00!

Everyone kicked into overdrive. I was led outside and down to the church in record time. I didn't even know how it was possible! It was a good thing it was winter, and there was no mud anywhere, because I'm sure that I would've messed myself up we were going this fast in the spring or summer or fall.

The snow also helped too. Since it was snowing lightly, snowflakes that fell on my dress made it sparkle nicely in the sun. I was a pretty sight, according to everyone else.

In the church, people were still all over me, getting me ready. And finally, it was time for the wedding to start. Fun, right? Well, not at first.

Knowing I was just about to walk down the aisle to get married, I realized there was something missing. My father. He was not here to give me away. I didn't cry, because I knew it would mess up my makeup. But I was filled with a sad feeling, waiting for my turn to walk down the aisle. Alone.

But of course, things had to brighten up somewhere. And they did. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Cain with an extended hand. I smiled, and took it. My life had gotten a little better. And then, after I'd turned around, another tap came from my other shoulder. I turned around again, and this time I saw Hayden. I took his hand with my other. Wow. I felt so much compassion for these two men. They had felt themselves so much a part of my family, they offered to step in for my absent father. I felt great love for them both. By new family.

Of course, I should've known it wouldn't be done there. No. With one more tap on m shoulder, I turned to see Craig, Jake and Simon. I smiled at them as they each put a hand on my shoulder.

By this time, the bridesmaids were all down the aisle and it was my turn to go. Hayden and Cain stated, leading me, with Craig, Jake and Simon close behind. I would just feel the love of everyone in the room as I walked down that isle. And I loved every minute of it.

You know those moments where life seems to move in slow motion? Well this was one of them. Gill turned around to see me, and held out his hand. I almost gasped. He looked so handsome. And I never thought I could deserve anyone as good as him.

Finally, or it seemed like finally, we got to the front near the altar. My _fathers _let go of my hand and each gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then they silently went back to their seats. And the wedding began.

The wedding was beautiful. And like I said before, it was one of those days where you remember every second. And I did. Though I can remember everywhere I looked, and everything I thought about, it would take too long to write them down. But I will tell you about one part, though. Can you guess which one?

Of course! The wedding vows.

Hamilton, the pastor, turned to Gill first.

Do you, Gilbert Mackenzie Cressman, take Angela Mary Braddock, to love and to hold, to nurture, and to grow with, from this day forward, and as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

And do you, Angela Mary Braddock, take Gilbert Mackenzie Cressman, to love and to hold, to nurture, and to grow with, from this day forward, and as long as you both shall live?"

Now it was my turn. "I do."

"Please exchange rings."

Gill turned to me, gently took my hand and slid a beautiful gold wedding ring on to my finger. I then took his and slid a gold wedding band onto his finger.

Then Hamilton spoke. "I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Gill put his hands on my shoulders, and leaned in to kiss me, quickly, but passionately. When we broke apart, everyone exploded into cheers. We walked of the church, hand in hand, to the Sundae Inn for the reception, the villagers throwing rice over us the whole way for good luck.

The reception was brilliant. I shared my first dance with Gill on the dance floor and soon everyone joined in. The food and cake was excellent, courtesy of Yolanda, and the decorations were superb, courtesy of Colleen, Barbara, and Mira.

I loved every minute of it. And when it was time to leave, I was a little sad, but happy at the same time. I walked home with Gill, who would now be living in my house with me. When we got to the door, Gill scooped me up bridal style.

"Now it's time for the fun part," he said, smiling.

Knowing what he meant, I smiled back and nodded. "Let's go have some fun."

And he carried me into the house.

And that's how my wedding day went. Pretty awesome, right? It was more than I expected, that's for sure! And it was the best day of my entire life.

And now, I am ready to start my life again. My new beginning, as I call it. My new beginning with my husband and my newfound family. It will last forever.

* * *

So? What do you think? Let me know of any mistakes if you see them!

I'm sorry to say that I'm planning for only one more chapter. I feel really sad that my first story is almost over because it was so fun to write. But, that means I can start another story! Yay!


	18. Miracles

Sorry for the long wait! Well, a week isn't really long , but it is for my stories. I like to update ASAP. Except it's exam time at school right now, so I'm super busy.

Ok, so I changed my mind. This is **not **the last chapter. I wanted to continue the story a bit more.

So here we go. Tell me what you think.

* * *

**Year 3, Fall, Day 22**

You know those days where everything goes wrong, and you feel as if your life will end? Well that was what today was like. Except literally. Today my life was on the line. And another life.

But we survived. And that's what makes the day turn to gold. And you know what? I would go through all that pain again to get the joy I experienced today.

Here's the next chapter of my life.

Later on in year 2, after Gill and I had been married for about half a month, I started to get sick, and feel dizzy and nauseous. At first, I didn't clue in. Neither did Gill. We rushed to the Clinic, only to find out nothing was wrong with me. In fact, I'd say it was something that was right! I was pregnant.

Of course, I had known this day would come. Just not so soon. I was a little scared at first, being only 23 years old, but Gill assured me everything would be alright. He was actually thrilled. Though it may not have seemed like it to others, Gill had a soft spot for children. Whenever we'd take a walk around Waffle Island, he'd be sure to say hi to Taylor, Paolo, and Chloe. Once, he even spent his day off from work to help Paolo with his homework, and play hide and seek with Chloe. I knew he would be a great father.

So of course, that baby wasn't due until the next winter around the same time, give or take a few days. But that's not what happened.

Oh no. I guess Life thought I'd been having too much good luck and needed to ruin my plans a little. And so that's how today started. Fall 22, about a month and a half early, I went into labour. And that wasn't good.

Gill reacted fast, even though it was 4:00 in the morning. He carried me all the way to the Clinic, saying reassuring things like "it's gonna be okay," "don't worry," "hang in there," "I believe in you," "you can do it."

After what seemed like hours of pain to me, we arrived at the Clinic. Jin and Irene came running. I was brought into the intensive care room, and hooked up to many machines. I realized it was because I was having trouble breathing.

Jin was quick. In minutes he'd determined the problem. My placenta had detached from the baby. And that was the last thing I heard before I passed out. I don't know if it was from the pain, or from the shock that I was going to lose my baby. But I just couldn't hold on.

The strange part was, it wasn't black, like someone's normal experience of passing out. I actually had a dream. Or a vision. Or whatever you call it when you see something when you're passed out. But it was the strangest thing I have ever encountered in my life.

* * *

I saw a light. It was a blue-ish green-ish light, sorta like the colour of an aquamarine gemstone. I watched the light sparkle and shine for a while until she appeared. Who, you might ask? The most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Dressed in a gown the same colour as the light, with hair also that colour, she smiled at me.

"It is not your time yet, Angela. It is not your time to leave this world. You need to stay. People need you."

And then she transformed.

A tall woman with long, wavy, blond hair stood before me now. She looked at me with calming ocean blue eyes. I knew those eyes. They belonged to my husband.

"Angela. I am Elaine," she said.

I spoke back; I don't really know how, as I was supposed to be unconscious, but I did. Actually, stuttered back is more like it.

"B…but…no…you…you can't be? W…Where am I?"

"Be calm, my child. Your time has not come. You must go back, dear. Go back to the world. Find your happiness again."

"But my baby! My baby! What ha –"

"Shhh, my sweetheart. Your child, and my grandchild, will be fine. But you must keep fighting. You can go back. Please go back. They are all worried. Show them you are with them."

"But where am I? How are you here? Are my parents here too?"

"All in good time, my child," she said, and she faded away.

* * *

"Noooooooooo!" I yelled in my unconsciousness, but was soon taken back to reality, finishing my scream there.

"It's alright, Angela, don't worry. I won't hurt you." I recognized that voice.

"Dr. Jin?"

"Yes, Angela, I'm here," he said. I opened my eyes.

"Well, it's about time. You've been out for nearly sixteen hours. It's 8:00. Everyone is worried about you."

"Where is my baby?" I asked franticly.

"Calm down," Jin said soothingly, "and I will tell you."

I calmed down instantly.

Jin's face saddened. "Your daughter is not well. She stopped breathing before we could get her out and went into a coma. She is on life support, but we don't know how long she will hold on, being a premature baby."

"N –"I started to protest, but was cut off by Jin.

"We will do everything we can, Angela. I'm sorry. But for now, you must see Gill. He has been worried sick. Not to mention everyone else in the village."

I started to cry. No, bawl would be a better word.

Jin said nothing, but rested his hand on my forehead. "I am sorry. I will call Gill to come in."

I could hear Jin telling Gill I was awake, and then heavy footsteps running in my direction.

"Angela!" Gill said, relieved. "I thought I had lost you!" He bent down and kissed my forehead. His eyes were red. He had been crying. And I saw that tears were froming in the corners of his eyes once again.

Crying, I managed to say, "I'm fine Gill. Tell me what happened."

Gill hesitated. "I want to know!" I screamed, tears soaking my face and the bed covers.

Gill got himself together enough to explain the story to me.

"Your placenta had detached from the baby. It was dying. We needed to get it out fast. But then, you passed out. Actually, I thought you had d... nevermind. Anyway, with you out, there was no way to get the baby out, except for surgery. So that's what happened. A C-section.

"We were able to get the baby out, but she was barely alive," Gill said, tears starting in his eyes. "I don't know… if she will make it. But I'm praying. Like I prayed for you, Angela.

"Once the baby was out, Jin tended to you. You were in very bad shape. Apart from the surgery, you had lost so much blood that even Jin was scared. At one point, I remember…" Gill stopped, overwhelmed by tears.

"Go on," I said softly.

"I heard the beep, Angela. The long tone from the heart moniter. I could imagine the straight line across it. I thought you were dead. You were given CPR to keep your heart going, and miraculously, it worked. Jin was able to save you with Irene and Perry's help. You were stitched up, and Candace, Luna, Owen and even Chloe donated blood. They were the only ones with the same blood type as you, but it was just enough.

"And that's it. Then you woke up. You are back with me now. I am thrilled."

I breathed deep. "Gill, where is our daughter?"

Gill sighed. "In the intensive care room, where you were. She is hooked up, and being cared for by Irene." Gill's tears intensified.

"No, Gill! Wait! She will be fine!"

"Angela, don't get your hopes up," he said, looking at the floor.

"Gilbert Mackenzie Cressman! How dare you! You have no faith! My daughter, your daughter, _our_ daughter will be just fine. I know for sure."

"Y-you can't know Angela. There's no way of knowing."

"No, Gill, I saw it." I comforted myself thinking about my vision. "I saw that she will be okay."

Gill stared at me blankly with tears in his eyes. I knew he didn't think she would make it. We were interrupted by a sudden scream.

"JIN! GET IN HERE!" Irene called. Now, the one thing I know about Irene for sure, is that she never, ever panics. Not with any emergency. I had never heard her even raise her voice before. Such a sweet old lady. But just then, she had yelled. No, screamed is a better word. And to top it all off, I could sense that she was scared. I knew that wasn't right.

Gill scooped me out of bed, and put me into a wheelchair. He wheeled me into the intensive care room, not bothering to obey the sign on the door that said "Doctors Only". We burst through the door and at that exact moment, we heard the beep. The long tone from the heart monitor that only meant one thing. My daughter was not breathing.

Irene and Jin did everything they could to her to help her breathe again, but with a baby so small, they couldn't do much without hurting her. I watched in silence, tears pouring down my eyes.

Finally, Jin turned around. "I-I'm sorry, Angela."

"NOOOOO! She is NOT dead! She can't be!" I bawled. I started to hyperventilate.

I was angry as hell. Why? Elaine had told me she would be fine! Why did she send me back? I would rather be dead than bear this!

Jin came over and gave me a hug. Well, he hugged me, and I just sat there, shocked and bawling.

"Jin! I…give her to me."

I knew Jin would protest, but Irene came to my rescue.

"There's nothing else we can do Jin. Give her the baby.

Jin carefully placed my daughter in my arms, still hooked up to the life support, as if he expected her to come back to life again.

I held my daughter in my arms for a long while; silent tears running down my face. Gill had knelt down beside me and was holding my hand. With his other hand, he gently caressed our daughter's forehead.

And that was the end. Or so I thought.

Thinking it was over, I stood up, still weak form the surgery and the shock, and went over to the bed. I placed my daughter down on it, and kissed her forehead lightly. Gill did the same, and then encased me in a warm tight hug, as if to squeeze out all my worries. It didn't work.

With my face soaked with tears, I turned for the door with Gill close behind me, pushing the wheelchair that I no longer needed, thanks to the adrenaline that had arose in my body in all the chaos. But just as I was about to walk out the door I heard a voice.

_I thought you would keep fighting?_

I stopped in my tracks. "Elaine?" I whispered out loud.

_Keep fighting Angela. She is part of you. Fight for her._

I didn't know what I was supposed to do. But then a force I can't explain willed me to walk over to my daughter and place my hand over her heart.

My body swelled with heat and a sensation I can't explain. It was like I was transferring some of my life to her.

And then, the unthinkable happened. The heart monitor showed a steady heartbeat. It beeped there, showing _my daughter's_ heart beats.

I started in shock until I heard a sound.

A wail.

A cry.

A scream.

I don't care how you say it, my baby was crying! Sound funny huh? Rejoicing that your baby is crying?

My head snapped down to see the small infant wail and cry. I took my hand off her and then fell down. I fainted for the second time.

* * *

"Angela? Angela, are you okay? Please Angela, I've had enough! Come back, please."

I recognized Gill's voice and opened my eyes.

"Where is she?" I demanded looking around the room.

"See for yourself," Gill responded and lifted his arms, to reveal a small, sleeping infant.

It took my breath away.

"What happened, Gill?"

Gill paused. "You…you saved her. I think. You just…turned around, and put your hand over her chest. And then the heart monitor beeped to life. And you fainted. After that, it was just shock form everyone." Gill paused again. "What…what was it, Angela? How did you do it? You performed a miracle! Maybe you really are the Goddess in disguise!"

I took a deep breath. "No, Gill, I'm not. And I did not save her. Your mother did."

"What?"

"Uh, nevermind, you won't believe me anyway," I sighed.

"Try me," Gill said with his little half smile. And then I knew that he would believe me. I began my story.

"Gill, I saw her. Your mother. She….she was the Goddess at first. The one from the quilt. And then she transformed into Elaine. She told me it wasn't my time. I guess she meant it wasn't my time to die. Then she sent me back, but I asked her about our child first. She said, 'your child, and my grandchild is fine. But you must keep fighting.' That must mean something.

"And then, when I did come back, our daughter died Gill. I didn't understand. Until I heard her voice again. She said, _I thought you would keep fighting. _And then she told me, _Keep_ _fighting, Angela. She is part of you. Fight for her._

"And then, I felt a push. It was like your mother was telling me to place my hand on our daughter. So I did. I remember a cry from our child, and then I blacked out."

Gill looked thoughtful. "Funny," he said, "I remember you whispering my mother's name before going back into that room. Now I understand. Sort of.

"It was beyond words, Gill. But it was not a dream. Or effects from any medication. It was real. And she helped save her only grandchild."

"I believe you, Angela," Gill said smiling. Then he said more to himself, "Imagine that. I real miracle. I never thought I would ever see another miracle after the mother tree died." Gill paused for a moment, thinking.

"What will we name her?"

"I think it's obvious, Gill. Her name is Elaine. And she is your grandmother, the Goddess, in disguise."

Gill smiled. "I like that," he said. He lifted my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"When can we go home?" I asked him.

"Jin said you must stay the night. And our daughter must stay here for at least two weeks. She is too small to live on her own, being a premature baby. Even now, she is hooked up. See?" Gill pointed to a monitor beside my bed that had a cord attached to Elaine.

I saddened a bit.

"Don't worry, she'll be home soon enough. You know how I know?"

"How, Gill?"

"She takes after you. She has faced Life, and beaten him. She has begun to play the game. And with a mother like you, there's no doubt that she will win.

Gill leaned down to kiss my forehead, and then Elaine's. He held my hand until I fell asleep.

I thought about what he'd said. He was right. Elaine had beaten life. So did I, and so did Gill. And we would always be there to help each other overcome future obstacles. That's what family's are for, right?

* * *

I almost cried writing this chapter. Hope it was good enough. Please review.

I's planning on two more chapters to finish off the story now. I'll update as fast as I can, though I still have exams and stuff.


	19. Livin' Life

A very short chapter, but here it is. Sorry I didn't update sooner, I've been having trouble with the document manager...anyone else having the same problem? Sometimes it wouldn't let me update, and says there's an error. If you know anything about this, please let me know.

* * *

**Year 6, Winter, Day 11**

Three years have gone by since Elaine's birth. In that time, she has grown to be a wonderful, sweet child. We call her Ellie, for short. Gill is a wonderful husband. I couldn't ask for anything more in a family.

In 3 years, Gill and I managed to save the Harvest Goddess. We were able to find all the ingredients for the recipes and restore the rainbows. The town was thrilled, and we were all given medals of honour from Hamilton. It's probably safe to say that it was the third best day of my entire life. Of course, Ellie's birth was my first, and my wedding was my second.

The townspeople ended up throwing us a party. We were out late, so naturally Ellie was very tired. It was past her bedtime, and she had to go to school the next day. But lately she'd been having trouble getting to sleep. So of course, doing what parents do, we sang to her. I tucked her into bed first.

"C'mon Ellie, in you go," I said pulling back her bed sheets.

"But Mama, I can't go to bed. I'm just not tired!"

"Well, you have to honey. There's school tomorrow. Here, I'll sing to you."

She got into bed and I pulled the covers up to her neck.

"I want daddy to sing too," she said.

"Alright. I'll go get him," I replied.

When Gill came into the room, he shut the lights off and kneeled next to Ellie's bed, beside me. He put his hand on her forehead and said, "Close your eyes sweetie."

Ellie closed her eyes. Gill began to sing.

_You, our sweet, sweet daughter, _

_Oh, how we love you so,_

_Stay close and we will follow you,_

_Wherever you may go._

I took the next verse.

_We'll carry you in hard times, _

_And laugh with you in good, _

_We'll be beside you always, _

_Just like a parent should._

We both joined in. We could see Ellie's face relaxing.

_There's no one we love more,_

_Than you, our precious little one,_

_When we see your smiling face_

_Beaming like the sun._

_But if things don't go as planned,_

_And we must be apart,_

_Just think of us, and we'll be there,_

_Forever in your heart._

As we sang we got softer and softer, until our voices were no more than a whisper. I touched Ellie's cheek and kissed her on the forehead. Gill did the same. She was fast asleep. Gill took me by the hand, and led me out into the living room.

He walked over to our CD player, and put in the song we danced to on our wedding night. He turned the volume down, so it wouldn't wake Ellie. Then he walked over to me and put his arms around my waist. I responded by putting mine around his neck.

"What's all this?" I asked quietly.

"Can't a husband dance with his wife?"

"Well, I suppose…"

We danced for a while, just starting into each other's eyes. Oh, how I loved his. They were the perfect shade of ocean blue, and the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

"You know," Gill said after a while, "you are a great parent."

"So are you," I responded.

"And you are my soul mate," Gill said back. "I am so happy I married my best friend."

I continued to look into his eyes, until he bent his head down and pressed a soft kiss against my lips. I kissed him back, and then rested my head on his shoulders. We continued to dance until the song ended.

"Hey," Gill said, with a little bit of a sly smile on his face. "I was thinking… Ellie's seems to be pretty darn fast asleep in there..." He paused.

I knew what he was thinking. I undid the buttons on his polo shirt, and whispered, "Let's go have some fun."

Gill picked my up bridal style and carried me into the bedroom.

* * *

Ok, my next chapter will be my last for sure. Sorry for any disappointment. Don't worry, I'll be writing many other stories.


	20. Happy Endings

Ok, that last chapter is out! Hope you enjoy!

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**Year 46, Summer, Day 14**

I'm 66 years old and I don't care at all. I have the best life anyone has ever dreamed of.

Gill and I grew older together each day, as we watched our beautiful children grow up. Four years after Ellie, Suzanne was born, named after my mother, and nicknamed Suzie. Then three years after her, William, after my father. We call him Billy.

They each were good kids, and grew into kind and responsible adults, each with their own children. I'd always dreamed of having lots of grandchildren. So did Gill. And our Children gave us eight.

Ellie grew up and went off to university at an early age to study biology. She was a very smart and talented child, taking after her father. She excelled in playing the piano, something that was particularly evident in Gill's mother. I am convinced that Elaine gave our little Ellie that gift, as a reminder of her.

When Ellie returned from university, she had fallen in love with a doctor named Louis. He came from a nearby town called Leaf Valley. They were married soon after, and had three children named Mark, Lily, and Nathan.

Suzie was the next to come. She went to university soon after Ellie, but took a different path. She went into Arts, and became a world wide famous painter by chance. She had always been a talented artist. She came back home soon enough, after traveling the world painting, with a sweet boy named Ray, who was a fisherman form Flower Bud Village. Though shy and sensitive, he seemed to connect with Suzie in a special way. After their marriage, they blessed us with two beautiful grandchildren named Marley and Alison.

Billy was the baby of the family, and last to get married. Instead of going off to university, he became an apprentice carpenter under the watch of Dale. He found love close to home, with Julius and Candace's daughter Angie. They had three children named Katrina, Ryan, and Jake.

They all lived in different places throughout the beginning of adulthood, but always managed to find time to come and visit Gill and me back on Waffle Island.

A few years after, Hamilton sent out advertisements all over, and the lots in Caramel River District were soon filled up. Gill and I were very surprised and overjoyed to learn that each one of our children had bought one. It couldn't have made me happier to live near my beloved children and grandchildren.

And every weekend, growing up, the grand kids would come over to grandma and grandpa's to play. They never got tired of our stories about the Harvest Goddess and the Island being restored. And the girls were very interested in my stories of how Gill and I had found each other.

All in all, my life has been great, and I don't regret a thing. But don't confuse this with my last words. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. I mean jeez, I'm only 66. This is just another one of my journal entries in that journal that I've managed to keep writing in. I can still remember when Happy Hamilton told me about it when I first arrived on this island. Funny how some things never change.

But some things do, and sometimes there's nothing we can do about it. That's just how the game of life goes. Life gives you hurdles, you jump. Life gives you an ocean, you swim. Life gives you a game, and you play it!

And you know what? I believe that I have won the game.

You played well, Life, you played well.

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So? What did you think? My first story, finished in twenty chapters. I have to say, I really enjoyed writing it. Hope you enjoyed reading it! Thanks for sticking with the whole story! You guys rock! :)


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